The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department has replaced K Rajasekaran as registrar of Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) and appointed Kanmani to the post, amid allegations of irregularities in the affiliation of teacher education colleges raised by anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam.
The department is examining the allegations and considering changes to the affiliation process to prevent irregularities in college inspections.
The controversy centres on inspection records for 74 colleges that applied for affiliation between 2023 and 2025. Documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act reportedly show inspection teams being listed as having visited colleges in different districts on the same day, raising questions about whether the physical inspections were carried out as recorded.
What are the allegations against TNTEU?
Arappor Iyakkam alleged that inspection records contained discrepancies that could have affected decisions on affiliation. In one instance cited by the organisation, an inspection committee headed by M Rajakumar, an assistant professor at Government College of Education in Vellore, was recorded as having inspected five colleges in Perambalur, Tiruvallur, Tiruchy and Thoothukudi on March 29, 2023.
The colleges were nearly 560 km apart, and the journey between them would have taken about 11 hours, according to Arappor. The organisation questioned how the committee could have completed the inspections on the same day.
Separate records also reportedly listed TNTEU registrar K Rajasekaran as having inspected colleges in different districts on the same day. Rajasekaran had said that he could have inspected only one college on a single day.
Arappor has called for fresh physical inspections of all 74 colleges and sought government action over the alleged discrepancies.
Questions over faculty records
The organisation has also raised concerns about the faculty details submitted by colleges seeking affiliation.
According to Arappor, the names of 37 faculty members appeared in the university's approved faculty records across 222 colleges. It alleged that some individuals may have been listed as staff members at multiple institutions, potentially raising questions about whether colleges met the required faculty strength.
The organisation also claimed that five professors had been approved as principals in 10 colleges, suggesting that the same individuals may have been listed as heading more than one institution at the same time. These claims have yet to be established through an official inquiry.
The allegations are significant because colleges seeking affiliation must undergo physical inspections to verify infrastructure, faculty strength, student enrolment and other requirements under National Council for Teacher Education norms. Any failure to verify these requirements could raise concerns about the standards maintained by teacher education institutions.
Department examining complaints
Arappor Iyakkam had petitioned the Chief Minister seeking action and called for a detailed inquiry into the alleged irregularities. The organisation has also sought action against colleges found to have submitted forged or misleading documents.
Higher Education Secretary Dheeraj Kumar told on October 2 that the department was examining the allegations and would initiate an inquiry and take appropriate action if they were verified.
The latest change in the registrar's post comes as the department considers steps to reform the affiliation process.