MMC opts out of deemed university status

By S. Shanker

CHENNAI, OCT. 13. The State Government has written to the Human Resources Development Ministry seeking withdrawal of the deemed university status on the Madras Medical College and Research Institute. The ministry has been apprised of `impediments' faced by the MMC and RI on conferment of the status in 1998 on functional and operational aspects.

Official sources said a two-month `introspection' of the `pros and cons' of the decision affecting the 165-year-old institution led to conclude that the whole exercise had been `done in haste'.

The evaluation indicated that it would be difficult for the State Government to have a two-tier faculty set-up carved out of the existing system. The UGC pay-scales and service norms will give rise to heartburn within the teaching faculty and it will benefit a select group of those fortunate enough to be in the deemed university. The `islanding' of the prime institution away from the Dr. MGR Medical University will deny opportunities for those aspiring to work in the premier medical institution.

The actual working of the MMC over the past two years too appears to have accelerated the decision to opt out of the conferred status. There has been no perceptible change in the functioning of the institute under a Vice-Chancellor either in academics or research. The fund flow anticipated due to special status too did not materialise. Financial assistance continued to be drawn from the State exchequer and the corpus fund of Rs. 60 lakhs created was from State Government.

The number of court cases by senior faculty seeking extension of retirement age on the lines of institutions coming under the UGC had its effect on the policy-makers. Apart from the financial implications of retaining the senior staff on super annuation scale, the stagnation in promotion of the lower cadre had to be taken care of.

Even if the status quo continued, there is optimism that HRD would withdraw the status accorded in August, when the deemed university working would come up for review.

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Section  : Southern States
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