CHENNAI: A day after the West Bengal government granted unitary university status to the Presidency College in Kolkata the country's oldest college a similar proposal to upgrade the historic Presidency College in Chennai and six other institutions into unitary universities is back in focus in Tamil Nadu with teachers opposing the move.

On Wednesday, members of the Joint Action Council for College Teachers in Tamil Nadu comprising the Association of University Teachers, Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association (TNGCTA) and the Madurai Kamaraj Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Teachers Association, will observe a fast in Chennai to oppose the move.

Last year the government had announced that five government colleges Presidency, Queen Mary's (Chennai) and the ones in Coimbatore and Kumbakonam (men and women) will be upgraded into unitary universities along with the PSG College in Coimbatore and the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, both leading government-aided institutions.

However, opposition parties and teachers had risen in protest saying it would lead to commercialisation of education in the two aided colleges. The matter was then referred to a select committee, which is yet to submit its report.

Meanwhile, as government college teachers expressed fears about possible closure of undergraduate courses in the proposed five government unitary universities and loss of service benefits, the state constituted a panel to study the issue.

While the committee is expected to submit its report soon, TNGCTA general secretary KG Palani has objected to the fact that the panel members did not invite stakeholders including teachers, students and parents to elicit their views. "We have received a letter merely informing us that the panel would take into account our interests and submit its report soon. To express our protest, we will be staging a dawn to dusk fast on Wednesday," he said.

suresh.kumar3@timesgroup.com