Tamil Virtual University to lose university label

[sajiv]

Tamil Virtual University to lose university label

CHENNAI: The State government has renamed Tamil Virtual University, which has been functioning since 2001, as the "International Academy for Internet Tamil."

A government order was issued on March 26 by the Information Technology department and received by the university on Thursday.

Speaking to The Hindu, V.C.Kulandai Swamy, chairman of the institution, said a number of delegates who attended the Tamil internet conference in 1999 had suggested that a university be created to ensure that developments in Tamil computing were collected and preserved.

Following this, Tamil Virtual University was created in 2001 as an autonomous institution functioning under the State government. Apart from providing course content, the institution website hosts a digital library and provides access to Tamil software.

"The institution does not award diplomas or degrees. All degrees and diplomas are awarded by Tamil University at Thanjavur. Even our Academic Council resolutions are forwarded to Tamil University for its approval. Our function is to prepare and help students," Dr. Kulandai Swamy said. Since the name "university" could not be used without due permission, he had written a letter to the State government over two months ago, he said.

He suggested that either an Act be passed in the Assembly to create a university under the name or that the name of the institution be changed to avoid controversy.

[To be called a university, an institution needs to seek approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) or the State or Central legislature should pass an Act creating it as a university.]

He clarified that he had taken this step of his own accord and that there had been no demand or order from any quarter. Poongothai Aladi Aruna, State IT Minister, said the government had decided to avoid controversies and had decided on the name change. P.W.C.Davidar, IT secretary, said the institution had been created to facilitate global access to Tamil enthusiasts over the internet.