Stalin lists Tamil Nadu’s objections to draft UGC regulations, 2024, 2025

In his letter to Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin argued against conducting entrance examinations for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the multiple entry and multiple exit (MEME) system, cross-disciplinary teachers, among others. He urged the Union Minister to withdraw the guidelines and modify them to better suit the needs of the States, especially Tamil Nadu.

The conduct of entrance examinations for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as mandated by the draft UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2024, raised concern among students and parents, Mr. Stalin said.

“The academic competence of students is already properly and systematically assessed through robust exit exams by the State and national boards. In this situation, introducing entrance exams for admission is unnecessary and burdensome,” he contended.

Entrance exams also exacerbated the academic anxiety and financial stress, disproportionately harming the economically disadvantaged groups, he said. “If entrance exams are made mandatory, schools may shift their focus to coaching for entrance exams, undermining the core purpose of school education.” A single entrance exam for the entire country was “impractical”, given the varying educational levels and systems and it would also undermine federalism, Mr. Stalin underlined. The admission to postgraduate courses should be based on the assessments at the undergraduate level rather than a separate entrance exam, he said.

Mr. Stalin was against allowing students with a four-year undergraduate (arts/science) degree to pursue M. Tech, or M.E. He reasoned that without a solid foundation in basic engineering principles, students might struggle in postgraduate courses, and the relevance of such programmes required careful re-examination. Flagging issues in the multiple entry and multiple exit (MEME) system, Mr. Stalin said it would result in disruption of learning, challenges in implementation, normalise dropout and lead to instability in the education system.

As for the Draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025, Mr. Stalin had reservations about appointment of non-academics as Vice-Chancellors, excluding the State governments from the Vice-Chancellor Search Committees, and cross-disciplinary teachers.

“While experience in leadership roles outside the academia can be valuable, the role of Vice-Chancellor requires deep academic expertise and understanding of the higher education system. We apprehend that the proposed criteria may lead to the appointment of individuals who lack the necessary academic and administrative experience to lead universities effectively,” he said.

As the State governments had invested in the infrastructure of the State Universities, its participation in the selection of the Vice-Chancellors was “critical to ensuring that the genuine aspirations of the State”, local educational needs, policies, and affirmative action measures were appropriately considered, he said.

Mr. Stalin also opposed appointment of cross-disciplinary teachers, contending that allowing individuals to teach subjects without proper foundational knowledge would “negatively impact the learning outcomes, particularly at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels”. Referring to the resolution adopted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly against the UGC regulations, Mr. Stalin urged the Union Minister for favourable action.

The Chief Minister said, “We believe that many such provisions in the draft regulations may pose serious challenges to the academic integrity and autonomy and inclusive development of State universities. We therefore request that the Ministry of Education withdraw the draft Bills under discussion and review these concerns to better align them with the needs of the diverse higher education landscape in India.”