The Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) has sought suggestions from principals of all arts and science colleges for introduction of single-window system (SWS) of admission for all UG and PG courses.
The Director of Collegiate Education is reported to have sent an official communication during June to the Regional Joint Directors of Collegiate Education at Chennai, Velur, Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Madurai and Tirunvelveli, to obtain the remarks of principals for the SWS proposal in their respective jurisdictions.
Such a proposal has come from the government side for second time in the last few years.
During 2013, the idea of SWS-based admission floated by the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education was endorsed by the Vice-Chancellor's Forum. TANSCHE had asked for details of sanctioned strength and unfilled seats in government and autonomous colleges, government-aided and government-aided autonomous colleges, and self-financing and self-financing autonomous colleges, with the idea of introducing SWS for PG admissions first and UG admissions subsequently. However, there was no progress thereafter.
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) is sceptical about the progress of the latest move by the DCE, too, for two reasons.
The first is that the managements of aided and self-financing colleges would try to scuttle the move with tacit support of the bureaucracy.
The second is that the SWS-based admissions would contravene the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Private Colleges Regulation Act 1976, according to which admission of students was the prerogative of the principals, said K. Pandiyan, former State president of AUT.
During 1997, when the then government issued an order for formation of admission committees under the supervision of Regional Joint Directors of Collegiate Education, it was challenged in the court and the GO was quashed citing the Tamil Nadu Private Colleges Regulation Act.
Hence, unless there are suitable amendments to the Act, the single window system of admissions in arts and science colleges cannot be implemented.
Nevertheless, the admission guidelines issued every year emphasising on adherence to reservation, if implemented properly, will set right the ills plaguing the system to a significant extent, Prof. Pandiyan said.
