CAG report reveals lapses in fund management in top Tamil Nadu universities

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report for the fiscal year ended March 2020 identified major failures in higher education in Tamil Nadu. Among the failures, is that many university departments' weak or non-existent research output. The audit discovered that the University of Madras diverted funding intended for research and development. These funds were then used to pay salaries and other non-planned expenses.

According to the research, guest lecturers were paid far less than the UGC-recommended compensation of Rs 50,000. Guest lecturers were appointed to fill the slots that had not been filled. According to the report, which was tabled in the State Assembly on Monday, 4,084 guest lecturers were employed in government colleges with a monthly remuneration of Rs 15,000 as of March 2020. According to the audit, the Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) delay in recruiting teachers resulted in an increase in vacancies.

CAG report shows mismanagement of funds, lapses in top TN unis

According to the research, guest lecturers were hired on a contract basis to meet demand and were not hired through a transparent merit-based recruitment procedure. In government colleges, out of a total sanctioned strength of 10,079 teachers, 4,889 permanent teachers were on the payroll, leaving 5,190 positions, about 51%, unfilled. There were 22% vacancies at aided colleges. There are 2,380 vacancies out of a total of 10,610 employees. The huge proportion of openings were mostly filled by full-time guest speakers.

During the 2014-19 academic year, 17 new programmes were launched in ten government colleges. 1,318 students were admitted without teachers to manage the programmes. The TRB planned to hire 1,883 teachers for a variety of fields in 2016, however, the government prohibited recruiting between April 2017 and June 2018, resulting in the recruitment process being abandoned. According to the report, the TRB hired for 2,331 positions in October 2019 and the process was still ongoing in February 2021. The sanctioned intake of students for PG programmes at the University of Madras could not be raised due to a lack of teachers and infrastructure. During 2014-19, the intake capacity of 63 programmes was lowered by 68% due to insufficient demand. There were no admissions to 27 accredited master's programmes during this time.

Comptroller and Auditor General report findings on University of Madras

Due to mismanagement and insufficient financial assistance from the Tamil Nadu government, the University of Madras, the oldest in the state, is still in financial trouble. As a result, funds intended for research and development were diverted for wages and other non-planned expenses, according to the report. In terms of student enrolment, pass rate, access, and affordability, the state did well. However, the audit discovered problems with the student-faculty ratio in institutions, the valuation of answer papers, insufficient research output, regional disparities in access, and ineffective governance systems. Due to the non-constitution of its major organ, the Council, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education was unable to fulfil its mandate. In addition, the State Academic Audit and Accreditation Council have been inactive since its formation in 2010.

Other educational institutions under UGC in Madras; lack of research seen

During the 2014-19 academic year, around 1.48 lakh students at Bharatidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Mother Teresa Women's University, Kodaikanal, and the University of Madras, Chennai, applied for revaluation. 50% of them had their marks revised. According to the report, the significant number of requests for evaluation and changes in marks after evaluation cast doubt on the efficiency of the answer-sheet evaluation method. Only a few university departments were engaged in research, while the vast majority produced little or no research. Failure of the revenue authorities resulted in the unauthorised occupation of government lands worth Rs 14.16 crore in Madurai, while the agriculture department's failure to frame a comprehensive guideline and enforce existing guidelines resulted in the misuse of Rs 3.01 crore in subsidy, as well as failure to achieve the intended objectives of agriculture mechanisation, according to the report.

University of Madras

The University of Madras, which was founded in 1857 and has six campuses throughout the city, is a college research university. Chepauk, Marina, Guindy, Taramani, Maduravoyal, and Chetpet are the campuses. National centres for advanced research in nanotechnology, photonics, and neurotoxicity are housed at the institution. It also offers three Advanced Study Centres (CAS) for biophysics, botany, and mathematics. The university's Chancellor is the Governor of Tamil Nadu. The Vice-Chancellor is the university's executive leader. The University Registrar, who is also the Secretary of the Syndicate, is the keeper of all records and the university's Chief Administrator.

With inputs from PTI

(IMAGE: IDEUNOM.AC.IN)