Central university falls short of expectations

TRICHY: The Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), which was established in 2009 under an Act of Parliament, has turned into a hotbed of inefficiency and irregularities. The varsity, which is spread over two revenue villages in Tiruvarur district, has not lived up to its expectation, said academicians. The UGC has reprimanded the administration for its lack of vision and for not making any progress on the academic front.While irregularities are noticed in the appointment academicians, the university has lost its charm for students. Only 37 of the 100 students turned up to receive their degrees at the first-ever convocation conducted last month.
The university was inaugurated on September 30, 2009 by Kapil Sibal, the then-Union Minister for Human Resources Development (MHRD) in the presence of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi.
The university currently functions in a three-storey structure behind the Tiruvarur district collectorate. The state government had provided this facility sans rent on a temporary basis. In fact, more than Rs 500 crore was allotted for building the infrastructure on land spread over 600 acres.
On February 28, a day after the first convocation was held, the first vice-chancellor Dr B P Sanjay's five-year-term came to an end. He has now been given an extension as a faculty member in the university. Similarly, registrar V K Sridhar's three year term came to an end on July 15, 2013. Once the term was over, the incumbent could not remain in the office for even a single day more, said a source in the finance department. However, Sridhar was then appointed by the CUTN executive council as officer on special duty (OSD-Administration) from August 1, 2013 until February 28, 2014.
Besides, Sridhar was "engaged as OSD on March 1, 2014, for another six months on a "consolidated consultancy fee of Rs 90,000. The order of engagement signed by deputy registrar (administration) M P Balamurugan said, "You will be provided housing, conveyance and other facilities, as entitled for the post of registrar."
A CUTN court member had objected Sridhar's re-appointment saying that retired people could not be appointed as OSDs. To make matters further worse, the CUTN website projects Sridhar as the full-fledged registrar. When asked, the caretaker VC Dr T Sengathir told TOI on Sunday that "The appointment is subject to ratification by MHRD, and we will soon send the proposal to the department."
The President of India, who is the official Visitor of the CUTN, had appointed the three statutory posts of vice chancellor, registrar, and finance director. Though, the President was invited for the first convocation, he refrained from attending it.
Alarmingly, during the last five years, no controller of examinations or the librarian could be appointed. When asked why a controller could not be appointed during his tenure of five years as VC, Sanjay told TOI that "Controller of examination is no doubt an important functionary. We had advertised. We were not able to get suitable candidates. That is the view of the selection committee." Sanjay further said, "We interviewed seven or eight candidates, but the selection committee felt that none of them were suitable." He further explained that "Eligibility is the minimum expectation, and suitability is determined by the university."
On the academic front too things are not rosy. "During the first five years, the institution could produce only 100 graduates, out of which only 37 came to receive the degrees in the first ever convocation," said T Sengathir, a mathematics professor, who became the acting VC after Sanjay's term ended. Sengathir added that there was no campus interview and the graduates did not stand a chance in the competitive world.
Though, only 8 students were enrolled in the first batch (2009-11), the number increased to 14 in the second batch (2010-2012), all of them enrolling for MA English Studies. The count was 78 in the third (2011-2013) batch, with 35 opting for MSc Financial Economics and 29 for MSc General Economics.
A faculty member said that the primary goal of the university was to provide the students equal opportunities and career counseling, and special classes should be conducted for ST/SC students, but none of the sort took place.