[Hindu] Anti-ragging drive to be stepped up

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Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Anti-ragging drive on campuses in Ernakulam will be stepped up from the new academic year, thanks to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) recent missive to Mahatma Gandhi University.

The university has been asked to submit a compliance report on the anti-ragging measures taken by them.

In a circular, the UGC made it clear that representatives of universities that fail to comply with the directives may have to appear before the Supreme Court in this context.

The decision came after the UGC found that the majority of the educational institutions are yet to implement the recommendations of the R.K. Raghavan Committee against ragging.

The circular also pointed out that the Raghavan Committee had taken a “serious view” of the slow progress being made in implementing these measures.

The committee directed every institution to have an anti-ragging committee and an anti-ragging squad at the earliest.
Surprise raids

The anti-ragging committee should consist of representatives of civil and police administration, local media, non-government organisations involved in youth activities, faculty members, parents, students belonging to the freshers’ category as well as seniors, and non-teaching staff and it should be headed by the head of the institution.

At the district-level, the committee recommended an anti-ragging committee consisting of the heads of higher education institutions as members. It should be headed by the District Collector/Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate and should also have the Superintendent of Police/SSP of the district as a member.

It is learnt that the majority of educational institutions have not formed such committees on their campuses. The squad is supposed to conduct surprise raids on hostels and other “hot spots”.

Barring a few initiatives, no major attempt has been made to launch such lightning squads in government and self-financing colleges in the district.

Several colleges have failed to engage or seek the assistance of professional counsellors at the time of admissions to counsel freshers in order to prepare them for the life ahead, particularly for adjusting to the life in hostels.