Monday, June 30, 2008
[CalcuttaNews] Universities asked to print ragging statistics in prospectus
Calcutta News.Net
Wednesday 11th June, 2008 (IANS)
Taking a strong view on incidents of ragging in educational institutions, the University Grants Commission (UGC) Wednesday asked the universities to specifically mention in their brochures and prospectus ragging cases and punishment awarded of those found guilty.
The UGC has also asked universities and other higher educational institutions to put up hoardings, billboards and banners within the campuses, urging students to prevent ragging. It has also asked universities to undertake other means to campaign against ragging.
Earlier, the Raghavan Committee, set up on the directions of the Supreme Court, had recommended that ragging be included as a special section in the Indian Penal Code. The UGC has already issued directions to the universities in this regard.
The committee had also decided that along with the number of cases of ragging in the previous academic session, the punishments awarded to those found guilty should also be mentioned in the brochures and prospectus of the higher educational institutions.
'The UGC is following the committee's decision to prevent ragging,' said a senior official in the union human resource development ministry.
[Telegraph] Squad-watch on ragging - Colleges in the state capital get ready to tackle jitters of juniors
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ranchi, June 4: College students would be under surveillance soon.
Jitters accompany junior students as they enter college for the first time; least they fall in the hands of seniors looking for fun in the name of ragging.
Colleges in the capital, however, are getting ready to tackle the menace prevalent in institutes across the country.
Each college in Ranchi has formed an anti-ragging squad to catch senior students indulging in ragging. The guilty would be handed over to the respective college’s anti-harassment cell for punitive action.
Colleges have also mentioned in their prospectus that students found ragging would be punished, as per UGC directive.
The anti-ragging squad would comprise four teachers and two students. They would keep a watch on classes, corridors and even hostels to keep ragging out of the campus.
Javed Ahmed, the principal of Marwari College, said newcomers find attending classes difficult due to ragging. This made them decide to form anti-ragging cells for girls and boys.
“Our college website talks about the anti-harassment cell and the anti-ragging squad so that the new students are aware of the situation. The informant would be displayed near the gate and on the notice board,” he added.
Principals said the steps would hopefully act as a deterrent to ragging.
The chairman of the boy’s anti-ragging squad at Marwari College, R.L. Ram, said many cases of ragging were reported last year.
“This year, our motive is to receive such cases and take corrective measures accordingly.”
The anti-ragging squad would also rope in parents to curtail ragging. “We will complain to the parents and after consulting them, will warn the students. If the youths do not stop such acts even after that, then they would be suspended,” Ram added.
Principals said rustication is also a punitive option.
Father Nicholas Tete, the principal of St Xavier’s College, said he has issued a notice to students asking them to refrain from ragging “so that newcomers feel at ease”.
“If senior students do not follow the rule we will call their parents and hand over punishment to the offenders,” he added.
Doranda College principal Ram Parvesh said they have mentioned in the prospectus that ragging was not welcome in the college.
“We have also formed a disciplinary committee to see that newcomers are not troubled,” he added.
[ToI] 'Students found guilty of ragging will be expelled'
4 Jun 2008, 0530 hrs IST,TNN
LUCKNOW: The proctor of the Lucknow University on Tuesday issued series of instructions directing senior students not to indulge in any kind of harassment or ragging with the juniors or candidates coming for admissions.
The circular issued by the proctor also called upon the juniors to report any incident of harassment to the head of the department or at proctor office without fear. It also asked candidates seeking admissions not to get swayed by people promising out of way admissions. "The admissions would be strictly on merit and no other recommendation would be entertained," said proctor AN Singh.
The proctor also said that students found guilty of ragging would be expelled from the university and an FIR would also be lodged against them. Students have also been asked not to use any kind of psychotropic substance on the campus. Even chewing pan masala and smoking are prohibited. Outsiders are not allowed on the campus.
[ExpressIndia] UGC formulates norms to prevent ragging
Lalmani Verma
Tuesday , June 03, 2008
Lucknow, June 02 In its bid to make universities follow the directions of the Supreme Court and the government against ragging in institutions, the University Grant Commission (UGC) is framing certain regulations to impede such practices in colleges.
UGC Secretary AK Chauhan said on Monday that the commission has also constituted a committee to frame regulations. Chauhan was in the state capital to take suggestions from teachers and government officials for the revision of pay scale of teachers in higher education.
“Guidelines both from the apex court and the government against ragging already exist. But to ensure their effective implementation it is necessary for educational institutions to follow them. To take up this task, the UGC has constituted a committee.”
The committee will submit its recommendations to the UGC within a month. “These regulations will be operational from the new session starting in July,” said Chauhan.
Also, UGC is planning to introduce certain guidelines for the central as well as state universities to put a check on the increasing fee structure of the higher education institutions. “There are number of universities and colleges, both aided and unaided, which are charging huge amount of fees while at the same time, some colleges are not able to even provide necessary facilities to its students due to lack of funds,” said Chauhan. He added that a Fee Regulations Committee has been constituted to go into this matter.
“Deliberations are on. There are possibilities that some institutions would have to cut their fees while some other could be recommended to hike their fee structure,” said UGC secretary.
Earlier, Chauhan, as secretary of the Pay Review Committee (PRC) met the vice-chancellors of universities and other senior academicians to seek their suggestions for a revision in pay scale of teachers. PRC will hold meetings with academicians across the country and submit its report to UGC by September. UGC will forward that to Central government for final decision.
[Hindu] Anti-ragging drive to be stepped up
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.
[NewIndPress] Ragging incidents: Rights panel to issue notice to Pushpagiri
Thursday May 29 2008 11:32 IST
Express News Service
PATHANAMTHITTA: The State Human Rights Commission will issue notice to the Pushpagiri Medical College management on the issue of ragging incidents.
Commission member A Lakshmikuttiamma, at a sitting here on Wednesday, decided to issue notice on a complaint by Human Rights Protection Council secretary Samuel.
In his complaint, Samuel said the council received a complaint given by MBBS first year student John Abraham, Tharayil, Pachalam, Kochi, that he was subject to ragging by senior students in February.
He was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital on February 28 due to the severe ragging, Samuel said in his submission.
John Abraham complained that the college authorities had not initiated any steps against the senior students.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
[NewstrackIndia] UGC sets guidelines to eliminate ragging phobia
It's high time now that the fresher avoid going to their respective institutions for the first few weeks of admission. As the new academic session is about to begin, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a set of proclamations of the code of conduct to be followed by the educational institutions.
The ragging phobia is so severe that a number of freshers, especially girls, experience a kind of trauma regarding the issue.
Many students, who are introvert in nature or are reluctant to open up or 'correspond socially' to their immediate environment, suffer it as an assault on their self-respect. In many institutions, the 'necessary ragging procedure' is so severe that the victims develop a kind of fear of the Temples of Education.
Ragging cases reported in the past few years involved fiercely obscure games, cheap tasks and unhealthy tantrums being played upon by the senior students who had experienced a similar treatment by their own seniors and who now seek a certain pleasure in playing vigorously innovative tricks with the fresher. The psychologists term it as a “sadistic pleasure” which finds outlet in this behaviour of the students originated from their own maltreatment at the hands of the others.
The UGC commission has thus issued some new proclamations that are headed towards bringing a ray of hope for the disappointed section. It plans to design a still stricter punishment for the unpardonable offence. The commission asks all the educational institutions in India to mention the punishment for ragging in their prospectus and brochures. Apart from the ragging cases dealt with during the previous year, it asks for the mention of the punishment meted out to the guilty students as well.
The UGC has also directed the institutions to have an anti-ragging cell, where the students can complain and report their ragging cases.
The institutions have been asked to provide special security to the students coming from rural areas or socially backward communities as according to a social profile drawn by the Raghavan community, such students are more likely to fall victim to the rogues.
As per the Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education(CURA), 52 cases have been reported between May and September 2007, including three suicide and three attempted suicide cases, which are suspected to be a consequence of the harassment faced during ragging. This increase in the “pleasurable Offence” despite Supreme Court ban has resulted in the increased security and number of cops around the educational institutions. Let’s see if the strategies that sound so good, work out to bear fruits....
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