Madras varsity professors seek postponement of convocation

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

A group of professors from the University of Madras has written to the Governor of Tamil Nadu C. Vidyasagar Rao, to prevent the Higher Education secretary from signing the University degree certificates and postpone the convocation till the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor.

In a letter to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the institution, the Professors’ Forum, representing the group, has said that during the Syndicate meeting on November 4, item no. 78 on the agenda had sought the Syndicate’s approval for the Higher Education secretary and Convenor of the Syndicate to affix his signature on the university degrees.

‘Strong opposition’

“This request to sign the university degree by the Secretary, Higher Education, in the absence of vice-chancellor was strongly opposed by all the syndicate members and many expressed their dissent in writing,” the Forum has written. The university sent a circular on November 22 that the 159th convocation would be held on December 1.

The forum’s also expressed concern that a degree certificate signed by a person other than the vice-chancellor may not be authenticated by many employers and foreign universities, jeopardising students’ job opportunities or education abroad.