A few weeks ago, the Tamil Nadu government’s Higher Education Department went back on its policy that all colleges in the State should adopt a “uniform syllabus”. The new order said that autonomous colleges need not follow a “uniform syllabus” if they did not wish to. This policy was also endorsed by the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE), the overarching body that formulates programmes, coordinates with universities on the implementation of these programmes, and is empowered to promote cooperation and coordination among institutions to improve higher education and research.
TANSCHE was set up in 1992 and is mandated to comprise 15 members. It is supposed to meet every three months, according to the Act that set up the TANSCHE. However, this has not been followed by the Council. Teachers in universities are angry that even though the Council has not functioned as per the Act, the government has urged them to follow the syllabus that TANSCHE has drafted.
The Council’s website is defunct. The last update to the website was made more than a decade ago and the officials listed on the website have since retired. Ever since TANSCHE was formed, the officials have been political appointees, especially the member-secretary and the vice-chairman, though efforts have been made to ensure that the persons had the calibre to hold the post.
