Anna University will once again become a single affiliating university for engineering colleges all over the State from August 1.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced the date from which five regional Anna Universities of Technology (AUT) functioning in different parts of the State will be merged under Anna University, which was the state’s first technical university established in 1978.
The DMK regime had split the Anna University to create regional universities in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli from 2007 for various reasons such as decentralising administration of technical education and creating geographical proximity with affiliated engineering colleges. Anna University, the parent institution, was converted into a non-affiliating university, with some constituent colleges under it.
Policy decision
However, the present AIADMK government took a policy decision to merge the five regional universities and passed a bill to that effect in September 2011. Thereafter, it appointed a monitoring committee under senior civil servant Sheela Balakrishnan to study all aspects of the proposed merger, including the status of students, teachers, non-teaching staff, moveable and immoveable assets and presented a detailed report.
“Based on examination of this report, the Chief Minister ordered the merger of the five AUTs with Anna University, Chennai, and it will come into force from August 1,” an official press release said.
As a result of this move, 535 engineering colleges will be affiliated to Anna University, and 12 constituent colleges under Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Chennai and Madurai AUTs will become constituent colleges under it.
Departments of AUT, Chennai, will now come under Anna University. The departments of AUT, Tiruchi, will be merged to form one constituent college of Anna University based in Tiruchi. In respect of the departments in other AUTs, students would be attached to the respective zonal offices of Anna University.
Four zonal offices would function in the four cities other than Chennai for administrative convenience. These offices would monitor the functioning of constituent and affiliated colleges and also address the grievances of students in these institutions, the release said.
Academic schedule remains same
The merger would not disrupt the academic schedule, as already the semester examinations held in January and May 2012 were conducted directly by Anna University.
“The world famous Anna University will regain its lost glory, fame and tradition by this merger. By bringing all technical institutions under one umbrella, engineering students all over Tamil Nadu will have the same syllabus. It will also help them contribute better in higher education and research,” the government said.
Arguing that merely increasing the number of universities would not raise the standard of education, the government said the university lost its strength after it was split into regional institutions.
Without raising the standard of education, it merely resulted in creating institutions that had no autonomy.
Further, the certificates issued by Anna University commanded respect and recognition, the government said.
Keywords: Anna University, AIADMK government, policy decision
One university for the entire state creates monopoly condition, which is too bad. Too big a university becomes less dynamic to respond to changes demanded in the state. Variety is needed in education, to promote competition between universities. Uniformity is too bad, for
it becomes the least in quality.
Infact, the university should not remain limited to curriculum abd examination and awarding
degrees. They should adopt new visions of new world, become compatible to changing
world and emerging opportunities in globalized world.Research, technology transfer,
incubation centres, research parks, continuing education centres, patent and IPR centres.
Will the bulky university create these limbs, needed most to make education qualitative?
Can we expect a reversal of this decison when DMK or any other party comes into power? The government should focus on improving the standard of living of the people in the state instead of playing with the student's life. Lots of work need to be done in the state so that it can be considered as one of the growing states. Hope that the government will focus their attention on the major issues rather than on reversing the decisions taken by the previous government - it is only a waste of time and money.
This is mere show of political power. I dont find any motive in
"improvement of Education or university" to a grain size. All those self-motive actions of Parties affect directly not just the Education, but the lifestyle of students and staffs under the Institutes. Mainly those so called 'Zonal offices' are going to be Classes for more than 1000 students(Which'll be accredited by AICTE). More of these actions,which only a News correspondent from a Reputed and Responsible news agency could report and aim to "improve Education, University and Lifestyle of students and staffs ". Lets see if there's any such agency !
It is a great pity that the fair name of Tamilnadu in the field of education is being wrecked by these half-baked politicians-one a school dropout at the VII standard and the other who has just finished the school final only.
the Anna University has a track record equal to the prestigious IITs in the engineering field and it is very essential that it is maintained so . Changing it every now and then to suit the whim and fancy of the powers- that be is quite demoralising. It is high time that Education too becomes a central subject. That will save the students from such flippant attitude of the regional political satraps
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