Arappor Iyakkam Alleges Irregularities in TNTEU Affiliation of 74 Colleges

Anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam has alleged serious irregularities in the grant of affiliation approvals to 74 private colleges of education by the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University in Chennai.

In a formal complaint submitted on Thursday, the organisation raised concerns before Governor Viswanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, and Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan. The complaint questioned the credibility of the assessments carried out by university inspection committees for affiliations approved between 2023 and 2025.

Arappor Iyakkam pointed to university records showing that a single inspection committee purportedly conducted physical visits to five separate colleges on March 29, 2023. The institutions were located across three districts between Tiruvallur and Tuticorin, requiring an estimated travel distance of nearly 560 km in a single day.

Highlighting the logistical impossibility of such an exercise, N Radhakrishnan of Arappor Iyakkam questioned the validity of the process in the complaint.

"While an inspection team requires a full day to verify faculty credentials, admissions and infrastructure facilities, how was it possible to inspect five colleges in three districts by travelling 560 km in a single day?" Radhakrishnan asked in the complaint.

The organisation alleged that such superficial or questionable inspections undermine regulatory compliance and faculty verification, calling for scrutiny into how affiliations were granted to the 74 private education colleges.