Anna University’s autonomy must be protected: Anandakrishnan

[sajiv]

Anna University's autonomy must be protected: Anandakrishnan

CHENNAI: Anna University's autonomy must be protected and all its activities must demonstrate total objectivity and transparency, said eminent educationist M. Anandakrishnan, delivering the address at the special convocation here on Saturday.



Honorary doctorates were presented to Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, musician A.R. Rahman and Indian Space Research Organisation scientist M. Annadurai.

The special convocation is being held on the occasion of the birth centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. "If any university bearing the name of Anna is found to indulge in unethical practices, society should deal with the situation ruthlessly," said Dr. Anandakrishnan, a former Vice-Chancellor of the university and currently chairman of the board of governors of the Indian Institutes of Technology in Kanpur and Rajasthan.

The university's autonomy must be protected from political interference in appointment of Vice-Chancellors, Senate members and promotion of faculty, he stated in the written text of his speech. The scope for undue influence of pressure of any kind must be avoided, he added, quoting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's comments on political, caste and communal considerations influencing university appointments in many parts of the country.

Dr. Anandakrishnan also emphasised that "society should support the university with adequate financial and administrative backing, so that it is not driven to resort to shortcuts for generating resources." He welcomed the recent moves to restore the unitary status of Anna University, saying the institution had gone through despair since 2002 when that status was lost.

Noting that the university was expanding its horizons beyond technology alone, Dr. Anandakrishnan said that the convocation represented the convergence and dialogue between various fields of study. He urged the three persons honoured — leaders in social development and music, along with a leading scientist — to continue to build on this convergence and expand the university's scope.

Mr. Rahman, in his acceptance speech, paid tribute to the synergies between music and technology. He dedicated the awards he had won for 'Slumdog Millionaire' to engineers and the timeless technological advancement they had made possible in music. "As one who admires science and technology...I am committed to music technology and its dynamic creative power," he said.

Mr. Stalin said that Indian universities must usher in change and bring in more student-centric teaching methodologies and innovative research to solve the problems of the future. "Nations that have not moved with the times have become stagnant, while those who have implemented change have developed and moved ahead," he added.