The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : `UGC keen on seeing more women VCs, Deans'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 07, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

`UGC keen on seeing more women VCs, Deans'

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MARCH 6. The Vice-Chairman of University Grants Commission, V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, on Saturday said a structured programme called `women managers in higher education' had been taken up by the UGC to elevate women to positions of power in universities and colleges.

"Though there are nearly 300 universities in the country, only 11 have women Vice-Chancellors and six of them are in women varsities. So, it is time to make women VCs, Deans, Registrars and promote them in other administrative positions," he said while inaugurating the Centre for Women's Studies at the Lady Doak College here.

He felt that this was a kind of paradox in higher education system as women enrolment was more for postgraduate courses but only a few women were occupying top positions in institutions.

Dr. Pillai said the UGC was keen to see more women managers who excelled in administrative positions and hence a capacity building exercise was taken up recently. He said the trend was found to be similar in Commonwealth nations but in countries like Australia a systematic programme was taken up to elevate women to positions.

He said the trend of talented girls not coming to top positions should change and urged the women's studies centres across the country to take up women empowerment activities.

The Centre for Women's Studies is being sanctioned to colleges in the country under a new scheme since August last year. There are over 50 such centres in various colleges and funds are being provided to them. He urged the centres to take it up as inter-disciplinary subject, work with government and non-government organisations and extend the activity to the field for better exposure to students.

Earlier, in her introductory remarks, the Principal, Nirmala Jeyaraj, said the college would take up a lot of issues on emancipation of women. The proposed programmes included research, teaching, documentation and advocacy. She said that education for transformation would be ensured in the centre that had received a UGC grant of over Rs.10 lakhs.

L. Thara Bai, Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, Madurai Kamaraj University, stressed that suppression of women should be stopped.

Regina Papa, communication strategist, and Padmini Swaminathan from Madras Institute of Development Studies offered felicitations.

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