Weeks after the Union government sought a Letter of Commitment from the government of Tamil Nadu to release the state’s share of funds, the state government is yet to respond to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the Times of India reported. The TN government’s lack of response might cost Anna University its prestigious status of Institution of Eminence (IoE).
The MHRD letter, sent in the first week of August, gave a week’s time to the state government to decide on the allotment of state’s share of funds. However, as per the report, the state government has yet to respond to the MHRD letter.
Vice Chancellor of Anna University MK Surappa had also written to the government of Tamil Nadu’s Department of Higher Education, requesting them to issue the letter of compliance on a priority basis. However, the university has yet to hear back from the government.
Anna University is the only public university from Tamil Nadu to be awarded the IoE status by the government of India. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) are the other two institutions of higher education that were recommended for the status, of which VIT was awarded the status recently.
The IoE tag offers financial support for infrastructure and research in these institutions, with the goal of becoming top-ranking educational institutions at a global level. The status also grants financial autonomy and independence in decisions related to fees and faculty hiring. A grant of Rs 1,000 crore is anticipated for public institutions over a five-year period.
The Institute of Eminence process kicked off a row in 2018 when the Centre awarded the IoE tag to the Jio Institute (A Reliance Foundation initiative). This announcement sparked controversy since the institute had not been opened yet and all the other five names announced along with Jio Institute were institutions of great repute. Some of the other institutions of higher education that have been recommended for the IoE tag are IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, Delhi University and Central University of Hyderabad.
Source: The News Minute