IS OUR COLLEGE GOVERNING COUNCIL A "FAMILY CLUB"??!!

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American College Governing Council is just a ‘Family Club’ as students’ fees used for foreign trips: Ex-Principal wants annual audit report on college website, demands DVAC probe into ‘collective looting’ (Part-1)

By Shastry V Mallady

Nov 10, 2024, 11:59 am

 

PART I

 

Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, former Principal and Secretary of

The American College in Madurai, on November 9th 2024.

 

MADURAI: Making a scathing attack on the CSI Bishop and Church lobby for being silent despite knowing about the mismanagement in American College for the last 10 years, its former Principal and Secretary Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar had called the present Governing Council as a ‘family club’ that is using students’ fees for foreign trips and luxuries.

He accused that the entire governing council of American College is ‘complicit’ in the ongoing corruption and demanded that college should publish its annual audit report in its website as a matter of accountability and transparency.

“The CSI Madurai-Ramnad Diocese forcefully took over the American College administration into its hands and conflict of interest started in the year 2008 when this great college went into the hands of then Bishop Mr.Asir’s family. The manner in which the present Governing Council was constituted by bringing in wives as GC members shows the conflict of interest,” Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar has said speaking to ‘Lotus Times’ website in Madurai on November 9th 2024.

DVAC PROBE, COURT CASES AND CORRUPTION:

The former Principal and Secretary had posed a few questions to the present Governing Council members and to the Madurai-Ramnad Diocese CSI Bishop who is the governing council president. 

“The council is just a family club as every important member’s wife is made a member. What you call as conflict of interest is thrown to the wind. Foreign trips by GC members under one pretext or the other are unjust as the fees collected is used for luxuries. Even the Bishop’s wife who is not a member of the governing council is included in foreign trips. So, my question is why the present Governing Council of American College is not taking cognizance of the DVAC and DCE complaints? Are they not aware of the various complaints against the present Principal and Secretary Dr.M.Davamani Christober? Why the Church is allowing and what is the CSI Bishop doing? Where is your moral responsibility?,” Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar had asked. 

QUESTIONS TO THE BISHOP: 

Charging that the current Principal and Secretary Dr.M.Davamani Christober is greasing the palm of Church leaders, the former Principal had expressed concern that the administration of American College is becoming a prisoner of the Church power lobby which had appropriated the powers of the college Principal and Secretary. 

“There are four complaints against Dr.M.Davamani Christober who had completed more than 10 years in the Pirncipal’s chair. Complaints are made for disproportionate wealth, corruption in teacher appointments, corruption in admission and misappropriation of UGC building grant. 

“The CSI Bishop could have initiated an enquiry on the corruption charges against Dr.M.Davamani Christober. But the Bishop did not do that and even the Governing Council members did not ask anything. Dr.Davamani Christober has destroyed the tradition of liberal Christian higher education because there are no voices in the campus right now for ‘Save American College’ movement. So, I am today appealing to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to speed up its investigation and also probe the collective looting that is happening in such a reputed institution in the country like The American College. I also demand that all the Governing Council members should resign immediately,” Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar has raised his voice by giving more particulars. 

He reiterated his demand for annual audit report and full details of how much money was spent for foreign trips by the GC members. “The struggle goes this way…Save American College to ‘God Save American College’….I appeal to the State Government and all concerned authorities to swing into action and do a through audit of Self-Financing courses money also,” the former Principal and Secretary has said giving particulars on various points about corruption and commercialization of Christian higher education in this first part interview.