Chennai: Amid a raging political row over the upcoming conference of Vice Chancellors convened by Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi in the Nilgiris, the Raj Bhavan has denied any "power struggle" with the State Government over the issue. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar is set to attend the conference, which is being held days after the Supreme Court, in a historic verdict, gave life to 10 Bills vesting powers with the government to appoint Vice Chancellors for state-run universities after the Governor had delayed action on these legislations.
"Some misleading media reports regarding the forthcoming annual conference of leaders of higher educational institutions — including Central, State, and private universities in our state — have appeared in recent days, as if it is a power struggle between Raj Bhavan and the State Government. These reports are entirely erroneous and mischievous," the Raj Bhavan said in a press release.
Annual conferences of leaders of higher educational institutions have been carefully planned and organised every April since 2022 by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, in which eminent leaders from academia and industries across Tamil Nadu and the country participate and share their ideas and experiences. Participants at the conference deliberate over emerging challenges and opportunities for students, as well as the newly unfolding frontiers of science and technology, and devise ways to prepare their respective institutions to remain competitive and ahead of the curve for the benefit of the state and its students.
The release said the positive outcomes of these conferences are increasingly visible through measurable parameters. Earlier, institutions — especially state universities — rarely interacted with each other and largely functioned in silos, to the disadvantage of students and the overall growth of the institutions.
"Preparations for each year’s conference begin several months in advance. Meetings with Vice Chancellors and eminent experts from academia and industry are held to design the structure of the conference, select topics and themes for deliberation, and identify eminent resource persons from across the country who are approached well in advance to ensure their participation. This year, too, preparations for the conference began in January," the Raj Bhavan said.
"It is unfortunate that some ill-informed media reports have given this well-intentioned academic exercise — aimed at achieving excellence in teaching, learning, innovation, and enterprise — a political twist. These reports wrongly link it to the recent court judgment and attempt to project it as a power struggle between the Raj Bhavan and the State Government. These are scandalous and far from the truth," it added.
Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi
Vice Chancellors’ Conference
Raj Bhavan
State Government of Tamil Nadu
Supreme Court verdict
University governance
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Higher education institutions
Power struggle allegations
Academic collaboration conference
