Bill to appoint Vice Chancellors passed in TN assemblycm appeals for all-party support

A landmark bill empowering the state to appoint Vice-Chancellors of universities was passed in the Tamilnadu assembly today.
The AIADMK and BJP members staged a walkout while the Chief Minister 
M.K Stalin spoke over the draft bill. Stating that he wanted to inform certain information regarding the issue he said that the bill should have been proposed by the Minister for Higher  Education. There are 13 universities in Tamilnadu and all of them are seriously rendering historic service to the cause of education, said M.K Stalin.

 While the Governor functions as the Chancellor and the Minister for Higher Education as the Pro-Chancellor, the government which is in the position of taking policy decisions concerning higher education is powerless to appoint Vice Chancellors. And this is impacting greatly the higher education.

There used to be tradition by which the Governors used to consult the state governments in appointments of the Vice Chancellors. But in recent times there is a big change in this. In the last four years a practice has emerged in which the Governor had assumed prerogative of unilaterally appointing Vice-Chancellors without consulting the state governments which the responsibility of providing higher education.
As the government which is elected by the people is unable to appoint Vice Chancellors has caused several complications in the university administration. This is entirely against the philosophy of rule of the people. In the 2007 Justice Poonji commission appointed by the Supreme Court to study the Central-State government relations, has recommended that the powers to appoint Governors which is not enshrined in the constitution should not be wrested with the Governor.

The reasons cited by the Poonji commission were, “ If the power to appoint Governors was wrested with the Governor it will lead to controversies and criticisms. When the states are enthusiastic and keen about providing education, transferring the power to appoint Vice-Chancellor to the Governor will also lead to power clashes between the state government and the Governor. I wish to recall that 19 states have agreed to adopt the views expressed in the commission’s report. After the DMK Government under me was formed the Home Ministry once again sought the state government’s view on the Poonji commission. This Government expressed acceptance of report of  the Poonji commission that recommended that the Governor should not be given the power to appoint Vice Chancellors should

Besides this while investigating the way how Vice-Chancellors were appointed in various states, in Gujarat the home state of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government appoints one of three persons recommended by the search committee.

In Andhra, Karnataka and Telangana the same process is adopted. Hence the Tamilnadu Government has brought in the bill that enables changes in the statutes of the universities in the state to adopt the practice of the state government appointing the vice-chancellors said the Chief Minister. This is in keeping the promise made by the Minister of Higher Education in the assembly on January 6, 2022 in the state assembly that a bill will be brought to this effect said Stalin. As in Gujarat the Vice-Chancellors are appointed only the state government, the BJP members should support this bill he added. AIADMK government in 2017 had also expressed view that the Poonji commission report can be adopted. This is the state government’s right and the right of the government elected by the people to provide good education. Hence I request all members to collectively endorse this and enable the passing of the bill he said.