Anna Universities in Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai will be merged with the Anna University, Chennai, in order to ensure uniform standards in technical education throughout Tamil Nadu, according to chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Sunday.
“Opening more engineering colleges will not improve the quality of education. Bifurcation of Anna University, Chennai, has made it lose its strength. As a result, the quality of education has not improved. Hence, a Bill was passed in 2011 in the state Assembly to merge these universities with a view to ensure uniform standards in technical education across the state,” she said.
In a statement here she said the Anna Universities Integration Act would come into effect from August 1. Accordingly, 535 self-financing and aided engineering colleges would come under the university. She said zonal offices would be opened in Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Madurai for administrative purposes.
For those who joined these five universities before 2011-2012, the examinations for November-December 2011 would be conducted on the campuses of the respective varsities. And from now on all examinations would be held by Anna University in 17 zonal offices, she announced.
Her government has been taking all steps to make sure that the students were provided quality education, as education was a vital tool in the development of human resources.
“In an effort to provide importance to technical education, former chief minister MGR had started a university in the name of Anna on Sept. 4, 1978,” she recalled.