Former Anna University Vice-Chancellor E. Balagurusamy has written to Governor R.N. Ravi, urging him not to grant assent to Bills relating to appointment of Vice-Chancellors to State Universities adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
In the letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media, he felt the Bills were retrograde and claimed that they would bring back the popular system of corruption, nepotism and favouritism and would be detrimental to the quality of higher education in the State, which was already in a bad shape.
According to him, it was immaterial who appointed a Vice-Chancellor as long as persons of high reputation and integrity with required experience and leadership skills are chosen. “Any procedure we follow must eliminate political interference, thus minimising nepotism, favouritism and corruption in the appointment of leaders of higher education,” Mr. Balagurusamy said.
He said that from 2006 to 2017, when Vice-Chancellor appointments were done by the government, corruption, nepotism and favouritism played a role, eroding the autonomy and integrity of the university system and resulting in the deterioration of quality of higher education.
Several Vice-Chancellors faced Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption raids, and some were also incarcerated, Mr. Balagurusamy pointed out.
