Chennai: Tamil Nadu will introduce a co-ordinated single-window counselling system for PhD admissions across all state-run universities under the higher education department, state higher education minister Govi Chezhiaan told the assembly on Thursday.Under the system, universities will publish discipline-wise details of departments, research supervisors and available PhD vacancies, allowing applicants to choose their area of research, institution and supervisor. The minister said the move was aimed to ensure uniformity, transparency and fairness in admissions.A dedicated software platform will be developed to monitor the process at the state level. “Through this, the higher education department will track each stage of a candidate’s journey — from admission and coursework to supervisor allocation and thesis submission — and provide guidance, counselling and grievance redressal related to admissions and research,” he said. The minister said admission procedures and the implementation of reservation rules currently varied across universities. Institutions such as Periyar University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and Thiruvalluvar University already adopted single-window systems for PhD admissions at the university level, which would now be expanded across the state.Chezhiaan also informed the House about the renovation of the state archival documentation centre at Egmore, Chennai, which houses records dating back to 1720. More than 40 key historical documents — including records related to the renaming of Madras State as Tamil Nadu, the Kallakudi agitation, Stalin’s arrest during the MISA period, Tipu Sultan-era records and the execution of Veerapandiya Kattabomman — were placed on public display following renovation and exhibition works worth about 20.20 crore.
