CHENNAI: With 15 of 22 state universities functioning without full-time vice chancellors and several institutions grappling with acute faculty shortage, academicians have urged the TVK government to treat higher education governance as an urgent priority.

Experts said universities across the state are struggling to take major academic and administrative decisions in the absence of permanent leadership. From research approvals and curriculum revisions to faculty recruitment and fund utilisation, several key processes have slowed over the past two years.

Speaking to the TNIE, former Anna University vice chancellor E Balagurusamy said appointment of V-Cs remains the most important issue confronting higher education. “Delays in V-C appointments affect academic quality, governance and long-term institutional planning,” he said. Apart from leadership vacancies, academicians pointed to the growing shortage of teaching staff in state universities and government colleges.

Many departments, they said, are functioning with skeletal faculty strength, forcing institutions to depend heavily on guest lecturers and temporary appointments. A registrar of a state university, requesting anonymity, said the prolonged tussle between former governor RN Ravi and the previous DMK government had left many universities “headless” for extended periods.

“As neither of them is there now, there is an opportunity for the new government to resolve the issue quickly and restore confidence within campuses,” the official said. “A brainstorming session should be held with former V-Cs and other stakeholders to devise solutions for the financial crisis, faculty shortage and other issues faced by universities,” said noted academic S P Thyagarajan.

This story has been written by Binita Jaiswal.