Should Director of Collegiate Education be an academic?

Before January 2024, senior principals of government colleges were appointed as the Director of Collegiate Education. Things changed when the then government, citing administrative reasons, appointed an IAS officer to the post. Initially, the appointment was stated to be for one year, but the practice continued.

The department now faces a crisis. The present Director has gone on leave on health grounds a few days ago, and the government has appointed the Commissioner of Technical Education to discharge duties in his stead. Besides being the head of the department that manages affairs of several colleges, the Director is also the chairperson of the Vice-Chancellor Convener Committee for the Bharathidasan and Madurai Kamaraj Universities. “The day-to-day operations of the department are adversely affected,” S. Suresh, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA), said in a statement.

The department oversees the administration and regulation of colleges in Tamil Nadu, including 181 government arts and science colleges and seven colleges of education. Among its functions are institutional administration, disbursing block grants to colleges, promoting curriculum design, faculty development programmes, and handling salaries and career advancement schemes (CAS) for staff and teachers of government and aided institutions.

“There is a significant delay in decision-making, raising concerns over the welfare of both faculty and students,” Dr. Suresh said. The Director had gone on leave in September as well, during which the government had similarly put the Commissioner of Technical Education in charge of the department. “The Commissioner of Technical Education also serves as the Chairperson of Vice-Chancellor Convener Committee for the Anna and Annamalai Universities. Putting him in additional charge of the department only led to further bottlenecks,” he added.

Recalling the practice in the past, he said whenever the Director was away, the Joint Director in charge of the Planning and Development Division, the next in line in the hierarchy, would be put in charge. This allowed continuity of decision-making and allowed the department to function smoothly.

A senior principal would be well-versed in the entire operational framework of colleges and will ensure effective administration, he argued. Also, when the Director went on leave, the Joint Director could fill in seamlessly to ensure that daily operations continue without any disruptions, Dr. Suresh observed.