CHENNAI: In a key development for higher educational institutions in the state, Tamil Nadu govt has decided to come up with a state higher education policy allowing four-year undergraduate degree programmes.“A state higher education policy can be announced incorporating global best practices such as four-year degree programmes,” the meeting minutes of higher education department said.The review meeting was conducted by CM C Joseph Vijay with higher education minister P Viswanathan and other officials last month. The meeting minutes were circulated to state universities.The four-year degree programmes in National Education Policy (NEP) with multiple entries and exits were one of the reasons cited by the previous DMK govt for opposing the policy in higher education.However, educationists pointed out that the students studying in colleges affiliated to state universities will be left behind the rest of the country if the four-year degree programmes are not introduced in the state.University Grants Commission (UGC) has also announced several higher educational reforms, including introducing one-year postgraduate programmes in distance and online mode.Sources in the higher education department said the state universities were not getting any research grant from funding agencies for projects, saying the state universities and colleges were not implementing NEP.Further, in the meeting it was also decided to reconstitute the vice-chancellor selection committees by amending the acts and statutes of state universities to include the UGC nominee and uniformly increase the total number of V-C search committee members to five.“Eminent academicians will be appointed as govt nominees in syndicate of universities. Teacher vacancies will be filled expeditiously. A state faculty training academy also can be established,” the minutes said.State govt also plans to start an institute of eminence in basic sciences in Kancheepuram and a new institute for emerging technologies at Anna University.Further, it was also proposed to increasie the 7.5% special reservation to govt school students to 10% in professional courses such as engineering and MBBS.It also decided to dispense with the requirement of govt approval for filling sanctioned posts in govt-aided colleges.
