The Southern Vice Chancellors Conference was held at the Bharathiar University in which the TN Chief Minister addressed the gathering on a video conference, and stated that TN is a pioneer in the country in prioritizing women’s rights.
Coimbatore: The Southern Vice Chancellors Conference was held at the Bharathiar University in which the TN Chief Minister addressed the gathering on a video conference, and stated that TN is a pioneer in the country for prioritizing women’s rights.
The Southern Vice Chancellors Conference was held at Bharathiar University in which six State University Vice Chancellors including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka participated. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi was the chief guest and inaugurated the function.
Speaking on the occasion through video conferencing, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said “The Dravidian policy and aim was chauvinism and make women socially and economically independent. Education is the key to achieving that liberation.”
He added that the Government of Tamil Nadu has given priority to women's rights and women's education, permissions for a co-ed in colleges, separate universities for women, training centers for mastery of junior, post graduate, and doctoral courses, computer training for employment, scholarship for doctoral research.
Chief Minister Stalin stated that the conference, co-hosted by Bharathiar University and the All India University Federation, which is a pioneer in the state, should be constructive in the national rankings. He said that the central theme of the conference is the United Nations' call for the implementation of integrated, equitable, and quality education through higher education institutions, which he hoped will be the foundation for the sustainable development of the country.
“It is on this basis that universities in Tamil Nadu are the pioneers in quality higher education for all other states.”
He said that all universities in Tamil Nadu are working to encourage only intellectual scientific facts and therefore it is a moment of pride for him to convey that Tamil Nadu excels in higher education, at the stage where the University Vice Chancellors of six southern states.
As many as 19 universities and 33 colleges in Tamil Nadu are listed in the top 100 in the ranking framework for National Institutions for the year 2020-21. The Loyola College in Chennai has been ranked third in all India category and the CM said that has brought honor to the state.
The enrolment rate of students pursuing higher education after completing schooling is 27.1% nationally, and the enrolment rate in Tamil Nadu has risen to 51.4% which is twice the national average.
“This is a record achieved by Tamil Nadu in higher education and TN is the leading state in the ratio of one teacher per 17 students. 1,553 Colleges in Tamil Nadu, 52 Government, and Private Universities and 1,096 Vocational Institutions provide higher education and encourage the development of education in Tamil Nadu.”
The state government has allotted 7.5% reservation in admissions to vocational and medical colleges, enabling the ordinary to rise to a better status. He also said that former Chief Minister Karunanithi was the one who abolished the mandatory "entrance examination" for admission to vocational and medical courses and made a large number of seats available to rural and backward classes students.
The government will also extend higher education in the state to those who are deprived of, in the next decade. He said a sum of Rs.5,369 crore has been allocated to the Higher Education Department.
Four Engineering Colleges have been permitted to educate in the vernacular language of the respective state, as a first, in order to improve the medium. These four engineering colleges have been permitted to conduct classes for the under graduates in Tamil, while a sum of Rs.20 crore has been allocated for translating the textbooks in vocational education into Tamil.