AUT Is Against Unitary University Status
We are not against the PSG Institutions becoming a university; but against the unitary university status. We seek State-run university status with Governor as the Chancellor with continued Government aid – this was the unanimous plea of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) of the PSG Institutions here on Tuesday.Addressing presspersons, representatives of the PSG AUT expressed discontent on the “absolute powers of the Chancellor (to be held by the Managing Trustee)”.
They placed equal blame on the State Government for mooting such a proposal as it would be detrimental for the development of the institution. K. Ramasami, Head, Department of Corporate Secretaryship, PSG College of Arts and Science, said: “In spite of our repeated pleas, the Higher Education Minister does not seem to be interested in our representations. The Government is treating the university conversion issue totally for an extraneous consideration. It is not paying heed to us.”
Refuting the claims made by the management and the PSG and Sons’ Charities, he said those who were showing solidarity with the management were staff employed as un-aided teachers or for self-financing courses. “It does not make any difference to them whether it is a college or a university. The aided staff, who have been receiving salaries and benefits from the Government since 1979, are not for the conversion,” Mr. Ramasami said.The association was also against the thousands of crores worth of infrastructure, established with grants from the Government and the University Grants Commission, going into hands of the private Trust.
It observed that the university status was in no way going to benefit the students. “We are already providing the best education. Why does it have to be converted to a university? It will only deprive students of getting admission on the basis of reservation and merit,” N. Thirugnanasambandam, Chairman of the AUT PSGCAS, said.With regard to the Select Committee’s public hearing here on August 7 calling for opinion of the public about the conversion, Mr. Ramasami said the hearing was not going be fair as the committee was being headed by the Higher Education Minister himself.
