Teachers association urges T.N. Higher Education Department to withhold approval of re-employment of Periyar University registrar post retirement

The Association of University Teachers on Thursday, February 1, 2024, urged the T.N. Higher Education Department to withhold its approval of the retirement and re-employment of Periyar University registrar K. Thangavel. Balamurugan, said that the association has demanded urgent and swift action on the alleged illegality surrounding the appointment of Mr. Thangavel as a professor of computer science, and into the mystery behind the Local Fund Audit clearance granted. Mr. Thangavel’s appointment details have come to light now through RTI replies from the LFA, which confirm the fact that Mr. Thangavel, a faculty member of mathematics at Gandhigram Rural University in Dindigul district, had been appointed as a professor of computer science at Periyar University, superseding four other contestants who had PhDs in computer science, Mr. Balamurugan said. Urging the Higher Education Department to withhold its approval of the retirement of Mr. Thangavel, Mr. Balamurugan said that the university had placed on its agenda at the 114th Syndicate, held on November 6, 2023, the consideration and approval of the retirement of Mr. Thangavel from service on February 29, 2024, as superannuation at attaining the age of 60, and for the extension of his services until the end of the academic year, up to March 31, based on a re-employment basis as per the statutes of the university.