Tamil Nadu: ‘Ghost Faculty’ Scam Uncovered At Anna University, Probe Ordered

Anna University Vice Chancellor Dr. R Velraj said that the number of fake faculty members in affiliated colleges has increased from 191 in 2023 to 211 this year.

Ghost Faculty scam discovered at Tamil Nadu's Anna University. (Representative Image)

Source : Anna University

A 'ghost faculty' scam has been discovered at Anna University, a top educational institution in Tamil Nadu. This scam involves fake registrations of faculty members. In its own investigation, the university found that around 211 people filled nearly 2,500 vacancies across multiple colleges, with instances of a single person holding over 30 different posts, according to a report by Indian Express.

As per Vice Chancellor of Anna University, Dr. R Velraj, this year, the number of ghost faculties in affiliated colleges has increased from 191 in 2023 to 211. 

Talking to The Indian Express, Velraj said “This doesn’t mean that they were working in all colleges at the same time. It is just on the records. Colleges have done it to retain their affiliation during the inspections done by the university. These colleges might have paid some money to these professors to use their names on records. It was a fraud to mislead the inspection teams I believe."

The problem came to light when the anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam examined the faculty member data on the university's website. 

Engineering colleges must meet certain standards to get approval or recognition from Anna University and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). These standards include having enough buildings, lab equipment, and qualified instructors. The NGO accused various colleges and professors of working together with Anna University and AICTE to cheat and falsely show they met these requirements.

Following the expose,  the state government has set up a high-level committee to look into the ghost faculty scam. This committee, made up of people from the university, the government, and the AICTE, has been asked to submit a report within a week. Furthermore, Anna University has also sent a detailed report to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who serves as the Chancellor of state universities and the higher education department.