Principals appointed in the last year in about 45 self-financing colleges affiliated to Bharathiar University (BU) have, reportedly, not been able to secure the varsity’s approval as yet.
The managements of the colleges are said to be awaiting a response from the university for formation of a Selection Committee based on a government order (G.O.) issued during 2021, which indicates that the norms for appointment of principals, promotion of faculty from assistant professor to associate professor cadre in government and government-aided colleges applies to self-financing (private) colleges as well.
In the absence of a specific communication from the university at the start of the academic year on formation of Selection Committee for the appointment of new principals, managements of self-financing colleges had gone ahead with selecting the principals based on the qualification norms specified by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Most of the principals appointed in self-financing colleges in fulfilment of the UGC norms were retirees from government and government-aided colleges. A number of private colleges had to appoint new principals in the wake of an official directive that those who have been in the post for more than 10 years have to be replaced.
In the case of Bharathiar University, the Syndicate had adopted a resolution during 2022, necessitating compliance with the maximum age of 60 years for the post of principal.
The managements of self financing colleges are said to be facing the predicament of having to go through the process of appointing principals again through formation of Selection Committees with the approval of the university.
For, the self-financing colleges, in most cases, appoint faculty retiring from government and government-aided colleges. Post-COVID-19, these faculties have been retiring from service after completion of 60 years.
The reasoning of the self-financing colleges has been that they do not receive any government funding and so, the managements have the authority to appoint principals by themselves.
The reasoning could not be sustained as the High Court had, at the start of the academic year, endorsed the stand of the Higher Education Department that self-financing colleges are also covered in the ambit of the G.O. on an age limit.
The imbroglio could have been avoided had the university issued a circular well in advance before commencement of the academic year, a functionary of a private college management said.
When contacted, BU Registrar R. Rajavel denied any delay on the part of the university in approving the applications of colleges that had come forward to appoint principals through formation of Selection Committees as per the G.O.
In any case, all pending applications, submitted in compliance with the G.O., for appointment of new principals, promotion of faculty from assistant professor to associate professor cadre, and course approval will be cleared in a week’s time, the Registrar assured.
Published – December 28, 2025 09:26 pm IST
