TIRUCHY: Private and self-financing professional colleges are allegedly discriminating against students admitted under Tamil Nadu's 7.5% preferential quota for government-school students, particularly in hostel accommodation and facilities, according to a petition submitted by A Manikandan of the Tamil Nadu Teachers' Progressive Association to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay recently.
The petition alleged that students admitted under the 7.5% quota were being accommodated separately in some private college hostels, with more than 10 students allegedly being housed in a single room. In contrast, students paying regular fees were allegedly provided rooms with only two to four occupants.
The association also alleged that quota students were being treated differently in the provision of hostel food and access to other facilities. It said such practices could cause humiliation, an inferiority complex and psychological distress among students who had studied in government schools and secured admission to professional courses.
"We worked hard in government schools to secure admission to professional courses. We should not be made to feel different because we entered through the 7.5% quota," a student said.
"When students paying regular fees get better accommodation while quota students are placed in overcrowded rooms, it makes us feel that we are being treated differently," another student said.
"Food and other hostel facilities should be the same for everyone. The admission category should not decide how a student is treated inside the hostel," a third student said.
The petition said immediate intervention was necessary as students were joining colleges and hostels for the current academic year. It urged the government to issue directions to private institutions to prevent such discriminatory practices.
It sought a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) limiting hostel-room occupancy to a maximum of four students. If additional rooms were unavailable, students admitted under the 7.5% quota should be accommodated along with other students instead of being segregated, the association said.
The petition also sought state- and district-level monitoring committees to conduct regular inspections of private colleges and hostels. It proposed a state-level committee headed by the Higher Education Department secretary and district-level committees headed by collectors.
A confidential toll-free helpline and online complaint facility should be established to allow affected students to report discrimination without their identities being disclosed, the petition said.
It further urged the government to take strict action against private institutions found discriminating against 7.5% quota students in hostel accommodation or facilities, stating that such measures were essential to protect the social-justice objective of the preferential quota.