Exam for 4k vacant assistant professor posts to be held in Mar 1st week

CHENNAI: Irrespective of initiatives taken for the recruitment process for almost a year, the Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TNTRB) has not yet filled 4,000 vacant assistant professor posts in the State-owned Arts and Science colleges citing various official reasons.

In January 2024, the State government granted permission to fill up 4,000 assistant professor posts lying vacant in Tamil Nadu Collegiate Educational Service for Government Arts and Science colleges and government colleges of education. Accordingly, on March 14, 2024, the TNTRB issued a detailed notification inviting applications from the candidates to start the recruitment process to appoint assistant professors.

Further, the state-run Manonmaniam Sundaranar University at Tirunelveli was entrusted to process the applications and conduct the Tamil Nadu State Eligibility Test (TNSET) to fill assistant professor posts. The state government’s (TNSET) examination determines the eligibility of candidates for the position of assistant professor in universities and colleges.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department, seeking anonymity, told DT Next that as per the notification, the government should have conducted the TNSET on August 4, 2024. “However, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University could not conduct TNSET for the period specified,” he said adding “subsequently, the TNTRB had indefinitely postponed the exam citing administrative reasons”.

The official added that after postponing the TNSET, the Higher Education Department decided to nominate the TNTRB as a nodal agency for conducting the TNSET for a period of three years from the year 2024 to 2025 to 2026-2027 on behalf of the State government as per the guidelines formulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Stating that TNTRB was also instructed by the State government to obtain permission from the UGC before conducting TNSET, he said the delay from the UGC side to provide permission immediately was one of the reasons the recruitment of the assistant professors has been delayed.

“However, as the UGC has given clearance now, the TNTRB will be conducting the TNSET exam from March 4 to March 9 this year,” he said adding “It will be a computer-based test”. He said that the hall tickets would be uploaded on the TNTRB website seven days before the exams.

P Thirunavukkarasu, vice chairman of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) said that the delay in filling up the vacant assistant professors in the Arts and Science colleges was also due to the demand by the current guest lecturers seeking the state government to make them permanent employees.

“However, after conducting TNSET, the authorities concerned should take steps to solve the issue and fill the vacant posts of assistant professors by this June itself for the benefit of the students,” he added.