Anna University (Chennai), one of the premier educational institutions in Tamil Nadu, has come under fire for a ‘ghost faculty’ scam. The scam involves fake registration of professors and only 211 faculty members are filling the requirement of 2000 posts. Surprisingly, each of these is listed as a faculty member in multiple colleges simultaneously.
According to Anna University Vice-Chancellor Dr R Velraj, the number of ‘ghost faculty’ registered in affiliated colleges has increased from 191 in 2023 to 211 this year. The issue first came to light when an NGO named Arappor Iyakkam checked the data of faculty members available on the university website.
Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of NGO Arappor Iyakkam, explained how several engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu were allegedly involved in the scam during their affiliation process with Anna University for the 2023-24 academic session. He said, ‘Analysis of the data available on the university website revealed that 352 full-time teachers were listed on the rolls of several colleges, some of whom were simultaneously affiliated with 11 institutions.’
Conditions to be fulfilled for recognition
Engineering colleges have to fulfil certain criteria to get affiliation or recognition from Anna University and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), such as necessary infrastructure, good lab facilities and adequate number of qualified faculty. The NGO claimed that various engineering colleges and professors, in collusion with Anna University and AICTE, are resorting to unfair means to fulfil these set criteria, thereby compromising the quality of education.
The NGO has filed a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, seeking immediate intervention to stop this alleged fraud. Following this revelation, the state government has directed to form a high-level committee to investigate the alleged ghost faculty scam. This committee, comprising members from Anna University, Tamil Nadu government and AICTE, will have to submit its investigation report within a week.
2000 posts were filled through fake registration
Anna University VC Dr Velraj said that if faculty members are found guilty of forgery and other related offences, suspension and dismissal action will be taken against them. According to the Anna University website, there are currently 52,500 faculty members registered in colleges affiliated with it. However, investigations revealed that the actual number of faculty members is only 50,500, with 2000 posts filled through fake registrations. The VC said that these irregularities could be detected only due to the requirement to publish details online.