Higher Education Secretary R. Kannan is visiting Madurai Kamaraj University on Saturday for the first time after assuming office. He will chair a meeting of the five-member Convenor's Committee, comprising Syndicate members, formed to look after the administration of the university till a Vice-Chancellor is appointed.
Mr. Kannan was appointed as Principal Secretary to Higher Education Department after the new government came to power last month. “Several files are kept pending for his clearance, and some important decisions pertaining to academic/administration will be taken at the meeting,” a university official said on Friday.
The meeting would be held in the evening and an important matter to come up for discussion/approval was with regard to sanctioning of additional seats to affiliated colleges where there is a huge demand for first-year undergraduate courses. The colleges had expressed their concern over delay in getting permission for additional seats at the crucial admission time. “Giving such a permission is a routine matter every year. But, this year, the university could not give the concurrence since the new Higher Education Secretary had asked us to stop the exercise till his visit. There is a lot of pressure from colleges,” an official said. However, some arts and science colleges which had sought additional seats well in advance got it.
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Besides additional seats, another issue pertaining to Ph.D. candidates is also coming up for discussion. The Syndicate members on the five-member Convenor's Committee, besides Mr. Kannan, are: R. Madhanagopal, P. T. Manoharan, P. Gunasekaran, and ‘Agri' Ganesan.
M. Rajiakodi, Registrar in-charge and Controller of Examinations, said that several pending files would be cleared on Saturday with the concurrence of the Secretary.