Chennai, July 7 (AHN) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has directed officials to fast-track the appointment of Vice Chancellors to 15 state universities and expedite the filling of long-pending vacancies in teaching positions, signalling the government’s intent to address key challenges confronting the higher education sector.

The directive was issued during a high-level review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the Secretariat.

Higher Education Minister P. Vishwanathan and senior officials participated in the meeting, which focused on improving the functioning of state-run universities and strengthening academic administration.

According to officials, the Chief Minister reviewed the overall functioning and financial health of the universities and emphasised the need to fill vacant leadership positions without further delay. He also discussed measures to improve academic standards, strengthen governance, and ensure that universities function efficiently with stable administrative leadership.

The shortage of full-time Vice Chancellors has remained a major concern in Tamil Nadu’s higher education system for several years. At present, nearly 15 of the state’s 22 universities are functioning without permanent Vice Chancellors, affecting administrative decision-making, academic planning, and policy implementation.

The issue has its roots in a prolonged dispute over the appointment process during the previous administration.

The then Governor, R.N. Ravi, who served as Chancellor of state universities, repeatedly rejected the search committees constituted by the previous DMK government, arguing that their composition did not conform to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

The disagreement had also triggered a political confrontation between the State government and the Raj Bhavan. In an attempt to reduce the Governor’s role in university administration, the previous government introduced legislation seeking to designate the Chief Minister as Chancellor of state universities. The move, however, remained caught in the larger constitutional and legal dispute over the powers of the Governor in appointing Vice Chancellors.

Apart from leadership vacancies, Chief Minister Vijay also reviewed the shortage of teaching staff across higher education institutions. Academic bodies and teachers’ associations have repeatedly urged the government to fill more than 5,000 vacant teaching posts and 124 principal positions in 188 government arts and science colleges, warning that the prolonged vacancies have affected classroom instruction, academic quality and student learning. Officials said the government intends to address both the Vice Chancellor appointments and faculty recruitment on a priority to improve the quality and administration of higher education across Tamil Nadu.