The faculty of Periyar University have raised concern over poor admission to over 50% of the courses offered by the institution. The university is conducting veranda admissions to fill the sanctioned strength.
Periyar University has 118 affiliated colleges in Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Namakkal districts. The university offers 27 courses at the postgraduate level, and the sanctioned strength for the courses is 30 to 36. While all seats are filled in most of the courses usually, the scenario is different this year. For the first time, the university is conducting veranda admissions. While such admissions had earlier been conducted for a few courses at the departmental level, this time, the university is conducting veranda admissions for 18 PG courses on Friday (July 19).
Faculty members said that the university had secured the 59th spot in the State University category in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, 2023, besides a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) A++ rating. This year, students did not show interest in joining many of the courses offered by the university. The sanctioned strength could not be filled in 18 of the 27 PG courses, including those offered by the Tamil department, which usually sees heavy competition for the M.A. Tamil course. Only around 50% of the seats in the university were filled this year.
Seats in science courses such as physics, chemistry and mathematics were filled, but they too received fewer applications when compared to the past.
The arrest of Vice-Chancellor R. Jagannathan and various corruption allegations were the main reasons for the reduction in admissions. Well-equipped teachers were needed to boost the university’s reputation and change public perception, the faculty members added.
Officials of the university attributed the decline in admissions to the mindset among students that private colleges were better than the university. Conducting veranda admissions would give a chance to students who were poor, they added.
