Drop proposal for establishing private veterinary colleges in Tamil Nadu, say veterinarians

Veterinarians in Tamil Nadu protest against the establishment of private veterinary colleges, citing concerns over education quality and employment.

The Tamil Nadu Veterinary Graduates Federation (TNVGF) demanded that the State government withdraw proposal for establishing private veterinary colleges in the State.

On Friday, across the State, veterinary college students staged a sit-in protest on the college campuses against the move to establish private veterinary colleges in the State. At the Veterinary College and Research Institute (VCRI) in Namakkal, more than 100 students staged protests on the college premises and raised slogans against establishing private veterinary colleges. They said that in Tamil Nadu there are 24.50 million livestock for which 5,000 veterinarians are required. But already there are more than 8,000 registered veterinarians and every year more than 680 veterinary graduates are completing their degrees from the seven government veterinary colleges.

Federation coordinator M. Balaji said that Tamil Nadu has been a pioneer in veterinary education through the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS). For decades, the TANUVAS has maintained high academic standards and has produced veterinarians serving livestock farmers, rural communities, and the animal husbandry sector across the country.

At present, more than 8,000 veterinarians are registered in the State veterinary register. A considerable number of veterinary graduates from private veterinary colleges in other States migrate to Tamil Nadu every year seeking employment opportunities. The introduction of private veterinary colleges in Tamil Nadu may result in serious challenges, including unemployment, decline in education standards, commercialisation of veterinary education and long-term imbalance in veterinary manpower planning, Mr. Balaji added.

Stating that the establishment of private veterinary colleges will inevitably strengthen the NEET-based admission framework, Mr. Balaji said that admissions to B.V.Sc. and A.H. programmes across the country are currently aligned with NEET-UG rankings as per national regulatory forms. This development would indirectly institutionalise the NEET in veterinary education in Tamil Nadu, contradicting the State’s long-standing policy position on centralised entrance examinations, Mr. Balaji added.