'Anna University' cancels discretionary quota in PG admissions

Chennai: In a bold move, Anna University has cancelled the discretionary quota for wards of faculty members of the university in PG admissions.

If there are any lapsed seats after the admissions are over, they used to be allotted to the kids of faculty members by the vice-chancellor under this quota.

Anna University vice-chancellor Professor M.K. Surappa has cancelled the discretionary quota.

“To bring transparency and fairness, we have cancelled the discretionary quota in PG admissions. Hereafter, admissions to PG courses will only be made based on merit,” Professor Surappa said.  

The university offers 64 post-graduate courses in various disciplines. The admissions to these courses are made based on the scores in Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test. The students who cleared the GATE will be exempted from Tancet.

“The allotted strength for each PG course is 25 seats. If there are any lapsed seats after the admission, the same will be allotted to the wards of the faculty members under the discretionary quota,” officials said.

The faculty members would submit an application to the vice-chancellor seeking admission under this quota.

Each branch will have one or two lapsed seats as students would not join if they get admissions in central institutions. In some branches, students will not join due to limited employment opportunities for PG candidates.

The university is also trying to bring transparency in admissions under the founder’s quota in UG courses.

“Under the founder’s quota, 5 per cent of seats in UG courses at MIT and AC Tech campuses. We have evolved some procedures to allot seats under the quota,” Surappa told DC.

The vice-chancellor has to approve the admissions made under the founder’s quota which is roughly around 50 seats. The university plans to release a list of candidates admitted under this quota.

Some of the faculty members in the university have agreed with the decision. “There cannot be multiple admissions under a single window system,” a professor from the university said.

Meanwhile, some professors argued that only the lapsed seats are filled under discretionary quota and there is nothing wrong in admitting sons/daughters of the faculty members.

However, senior academicians have welcomed the move by saying that the present vice-chancellor has made the right decision.

“The discretionary quota is against the rules. But the previous vice-chancellors have used the quota to make money. We cannot have two admission systems - one for the common people and another one for the faculty members,” said E.Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor of Anna University.

He also called for reforming the admissions made under industrial quota which has deviated from its original purpose. 

“The quota was originally established to give admissions to the sons and daughters of the people industrialists. Now, the rule was amended and the industry can sponsor any candidate to study in Anna University. It paves way for the back door entry and corruption,” he alleged. 

Some faculty members said the founder’s quota is operational due to a long pending case in the Supreme Court. “The Madras high court has quashed all quotas except industrial quota and NRI quota. But the founder of MIT has sought the stay for this order in apex court. Till now, no one has moved the court to vacate the stay,” faculty members pointed out.