Anna varsity exam fee hike not applicable this semester: Ponmudy

The university has been told to roll back the hike after students protested; Annamalai University dismisses 56 ineligible faculty members

 

The exam fee hike for Anna University students will not apply to the current semester, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said on Friday.

His announcement came a few hours after the university announced the hike on its website. Anna University had increased the exam fee from ₹150 to ₹225 per paper. The students said the increase was rather steep.

The Minister said the university would not hike the fee for the current semester, however.

“We have said the exam fee would be uniform at all universities. We had suggested it at the Vice-Chancellors’ meeting too. When I enquired, university officials said other universities were charging higher. However, the exam fee will not be raised this semester, and students will pay the same fee that they have been remitting so far,” he said.

The department would have discussions with all Vice-Chancellors and Controllers of Examination to streamline the fee structure, he said.

Mr. Ponmudy said the dismissal of 56 assistant professors from Annamalai University was based on the approval of the university’s Syndicate. The matter had been pending since 2019.

The university announced on Friday that 56 faculty members were dismissed as they were found to be ineligible.

The Minister told mediapersons in Villupuram that to become a university faculty member, a person should have 55% marks in the State or National Eligibility Test or should have a Ph.D, as stipulated by the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education. “These persons had no such credentials. The Syndicate had approved their dismissal in 2019 and the present Vice-Chancellor has only taken forward the decision, which is welcome,” he said.

As for the benefits that these assistant professors had drawn, Mr. Ponmudy said they had worked for 10 years and action would be taken against those responsible for approving them.

Among them, 52 were assistant professors in business administration. Two were faculty members who had taught computer science course, one belonged to the Department of Economics, while another faculty member taught agricultural economics. However, if they applied for jobs, their candidature would be considered on the basis of their eligibility, the Minister said.