Ruling out extending reservation for appointment of vice-chancellors to government universities the Tamil Nadu Government informed the state Assembly on April 4 that merit was the only criteria for such posts.
Higher Education minister P. Palaniappan said a search committee picked the candidates for the post of vice-chancellor based on merit and leadership qualities.
“Vice-chancellors are appointed not on the basis of reservation but on merit and various other parameters including leadership qualities,” he said in response to a demand by Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) member MH Jawahirullah in the House.
Later, in his reply to discussion on grants for his department, Palaniappan said Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), the number of eligible persons of the total population enrolling for higher education, of Tamil Nadu was 19 per cent which was higher than the national average of 15 percent.