CHENNAI: Questioning whether Tamil Nadu is performing anywhere near its true potential, Governor R N Ravi on Sunday said the state is “running far below its capacity” despite having some of the strongest fundamentals in education, human resources and innovation in the country.
Speaking at the ‘PanIIT Tech4Bharat’ summit in Chennai, the governor pointed to a widening gap between TN’s capabilities and its actual economic and industrial outcomes.
Ravi noted that Tamil Nadu has already achieved a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of nearly 50% in higher education, among the highest in India.
The state also leads the country in the number of patents filed and granted, produces the highest number of research papers, engineers and PhD holders. However the same is not reflected in its industrial and economic growth.
While TN was historically the second-largest recipient of private investment after Maharashtra for several decades, its share of new private investments has now fallen to below 5%, indicating waning investor enthusiasm.
“Investors should be making a beeline to TN. However, in 2025 out of the total MoUs signed in India, only 5% of it has made to TN,” he said.
While nearly 70% of school students opt for science streams, the ratio is reversed in higher education, with only 30% pursuing STEM disciplines, he said. Industry leaders, he added, frequently cite the lack of employable engineers as a major constraint, despite the presence of nearly 500 engineering colleges in the state.
Adding to the challenge, nearly 45% of faculty positions in universities and engineering colleges remain vacant, affecting teaching quality.
On the Anna University’s ghost faculty scam, the governor said that those who took initiative to rectify the issue are being hounded now, in a veiled reference to the suspension of former vice-chancellor and registrar of the university.
Organised by PanIIT Alumni India in association with IIT Madras, the summit marked 75 years of innovation and excellence by Indian Institutes of Technology and sought to align innovation, research and policy with the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Renowned composer Ilaiyaraaja, a Rajya Sabha MP, was also part of the event along with 500 delegates.