Stalin to meet VCs, registrars on April 16

Chennai: Following the notification of 10 laws related to the appointment of vice-chancellors to state universities based on the Supreme Court's order, the Tamil Nadu govt on Sunday announced that chief minister M K Stalin will chair a meeting of vice-chancellors and registrars on April 16.

The meeting will discuss improving higher education in the state, a release from the state govt said.

The notified Acts empower the state govt to appoint the vice-chancellors to state universities.

They also give the govt powers to remove vice-chancellors on the grounds of wilful omission or refusal to carry out the provisions of the law or abuse the powers vested in them. The nomination of members to the senate and syndicate, besides academic councils of universities, will also become the sole prerogative of the state govt henceforth.

"These acts give more powers to the state govt in university affairs. This meeting gives an opportunity to state universities to directly represent their problems to the CM and to bring his attention to issues such as the financial crisis faced by them. It can also help state universities to get more funding from the state govt," an academician said.

With the legal hurdles cleared for appointing the vice-chancellors, the state govt is expected to form the vice-chancellor search panels for state universities in the coming days.