Chennai: Following the uproar over the delay in appointing new principals to govt arts and science colleges, the higher education department is speeding up the process, and more than 100 colleges are likely to get new principals within the next four weeks.Professors said the new academic year started with the vacancy of principal posts in 125 govt colleges, and they were run by in charge principals. The appointments were delayed due to Madras high court’s stay on the seniority list prepared in 2023. Professors have alleged that in charge principals were not able to take key decisions related to academics and college development. Political parties demanded immediate appointment of principals to all govt colleges.“Grade I college principals will be filled by next week. Further, the principal posts in 100 Grade II govt colleges will be filled after getting the approval from the human resource management department. Once they approve, the panel will be formed and appointment orders will be issued by the first week of Aug,” higher education secretary V Arun Roy said.Govt colleges with over 2,000 enrolment and three PG courses are regarded as Grade I colleges, and others are considered as Grade II colleges. Professors said that the seniority list for those who were appointed in govt colleges in 1998 was prepared in 2018 and was revised in 2023.“Govt college lecturers wanted the normalisation process for different subjects, stating the difficulty level varied for each subject in the written exam. They also went to the court against the seniority list. The court issued a stay on the seniority list, which delayed the appointment of the principals to govt colleges,” said S Suresh, general secretary, TN govt collegiate teachers’ association.Based on the govt’s plea, the stay was vacated in May. “Despite no stay on the seniority list, the appointment has been delayed by more than 50 days. The higher education department should immediately appoint full-time principals to govt colleges,” he added.
