Group members of the University of Madras expressed opposition to the recent cuts approved by the institution’s finance committee.
Since August 2023, the university has been chaired by the convening committee without a vice president. At the Senate meeting on March 28, the Finance Committee has not approved its annual budget.
The committee met to approve the 2025-26 budget of the university, chaired by the Secretary of Higher Education C. Samayamoorthy, who is also the convener of the committee, which manages university affairs without a VC.
Other members are Gkarun Sundar Thayalan, Special Secretary of the Department of Finance; K. Pandian, Director of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Group Member; Rita John, Department of Theoretical Physics and Group Member. The University’s financial officer is a special invitation.
The Finance Committee proposed drastic cuts, in addition to calling for teachers to be appointed through the TNPSC and non-teacher teachers.
In the 2025-26 budget estimates, these cuts are in charge of various leaders of “managing the financial restrictions of universities.”
The committee has reduced the university’s academic sector’s emergency fund by 20%, which may affect the maintenance of equipment, consumables and laboratory accessories. It reduces the funding of library books and journals by 30%, in addition to cutting 40% of building maintenance. Funding for student facilities, sports and sports will be cut in half.
The committee recommended reducing outsourcing from 221 existing employees to 150. The power of the “parts worker” has been cut from 106 to 75. It proposes to reduce visiting lecturers from 115 to 75 and part-time visiting lecturers from 46 to 30. These teachers can only serve up to 20 hours a month.
“Under the self-sufficiency curriculum, the existing 50% allocation is 50%, reducing the tuition and laboratory fees allocations it charges to 30%,” the committee said.
On Monday, group members wrote to the registrar on complaints and issues that their state government ignored. The proposed reductions, they said, “are unfavorable to the interests of students and are harmful to the performance of the university.”
Members appealed to the university to understand the dilemma from the state and seek grants to provide budget estimates for all budget leaders in 2025-26 without decreasing.
Members requested explanation of actions taken against purchase violations committed by the MGR Centenary Center for Social Development Research. Six group members signed an inquiry report. They noted that the investigation was initiated on the directions of the Finance Committee.
The Commission’s appeal for university appointments erodes not only the university’s autonomy, but also the diversity and complexity of discipline specialization in faculty positions, thereby assessing the teaching and research skills of graduate and doctoral applicants that can only be handled appropriately by the university.
Comply with appointments prescribed by the University Appropriations Committee and as a practice nationwide, average member avoided, while TRB recruitment is universal and is undergraduate.
Members further stated that the university’s procurement committee did not meet in more than half of the fiscal year 2024-25.
This “lack approach” hurts project investigators and teachers because they are unable to use funds granted by various institutions. They noted that unused grants must be returned to financial institutions with criminal interest, which has caused huge losses to universities and will seek funds in the future endanger the PI.
“We seek to explain the loss of quantum, to determine the responsible executives,” they said.
Members noted that the university’s function is 66% of the faculty. Of the approved 540 strength, only 184 are currently available. In the non-teaching category, 964 positions are vacant.
publishing – April 15, 2025 11:26 pm ist
