COIMBATORE: Nine universities from Tamil Nadu, including Anna University, have been listed as defaulters by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for not appointing an ombudsman to address grievances raised by students. Educationalists said this showed higher education institutions do not care about student welfare.
On December 5, UGC had directed all universities to appoint an ombudsman and upload details of the Students Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) on the website by December 31. Universities and colleges were also told to display their contact details on their websites and prominent places on their campuses.
N R Ravishankar, a retired professor in Coimbatore, told TNIE, “As per UGC regulation 2023, all higher education institutions should constitute an SGRC and appoint an ombudsman to rectify the student’s grievances such as admission, holding education-related documents, collecting the additional fee, scholarship issue, refund, etc.”
“If students have grievances, they can complain to the SRGC which comprises a chairperson and members along with the student representative. SGRC should resolve it within 15 days and if they don’t, students can approach the ombudsman, who should take action within 30 days from the appealing date,” he added.
SFI state president Sameer Ahamed told TNIE that most of the committees are functioning for namesake and were not helpful for students. “Most of the students are unaware of the committees and colleges do not create awareness about the ICC, SGRC, anti-ragging committee, etc. The details of the committee are not displayed on notice boards and web sites either.”
When contacted, R Saravanaselvan, ombudsman from Bharathiar University, told TNIE, “Four students appealed regarding their grievance through SGRC last year and those complaints have been resolved.”
When asked, Anna University V-C R Velraj told TNIE that they had appointed an ombudsman before January 10. However, the details were not available on the Anna University portal. The same was with Bharathidasan, TNTEU, etc.
Varsities without ombudsman
Anna University | Annamalai University | Bharathidasan University | Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University | Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University | Tamil University | Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Music University and Fine Arts | Thiruvalluvar University