The controversy surrounding the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology is not good for Odisha’s education sector. While its aftermath opened a Pandora’s box for the private education group run by a former member of parliament, the state’s image took most of the beating. Triggering a diplomatic crisis of sorts with Nepal, the incident sent the BJP government on a damage-control mode. The circumstances of a 20-year-old Nepali student’s death by suicide were tragic and troublesome. But the way her fellow students’ loud cry for justice was dealt with was much more shocking. Singling out students from a foreign country and threatening their eviction is not how an institution is expected to treat its own. The story of the students’ suffering had travelled far, thanks to social media; but it was Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s intervention that jolted the Mohan Charan Majhi administration out of its slumber. Awareness of the situation could have saved the state government the blushes, but it chose to look the other way.
The government has now formed a panel of three IAS officers to probe the allegations regarding a series of events, but the mistrust that has crept into the student community would take time to go. Since the incident involved foreign nationals, the government would have to walk an extra mile to earn back trust. The state’s technical and professional education sector is dominated by private entities that attract a large number of students from African and Asian countries. The latest incident has highlighted the near-complete absence of oversight by the government, which was found shirking its responsibility till the diplomatic pressure became too hot to handle.
As a confidence-building measure, the state would do well to establish a dedicated cell for internationals students, so that their concerns can be addressed in time. As Odisha aspires to be an educational powerhouse, incidents like this are like taking several steps back. Educational groups have to be sensitive and proactive towards all student issues, not just academics. Even as it rightly preserves the autonomy of private institutions, the government must establish a mechanism to keep track of the goings-on on campuses and ensure accountability. The KIIT incident should be a major learning for all.