THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has ordered the setting up of student grievance redressal cells within a month in all affiliated colleges, including self-financing institutions, and university departments. The direction came in the wake of the recent suicide of a student of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirapally, allegedly due to harassment by teachers, and the protests that ensued on the campus.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu told reporters on Thursday that the grievance redressal cell’s powers have been clearly defined. She said the cell will also have the mandate to ensure the protection of students’ rights laid down in the proposed ‘Charter of Students' Rights’. The charter will soon be made a part of university rules, she said.
“The Jeevani counselling mechanism in government and aided colleges will be extended to self-financing colleges and will also be made a part of the charter. This will ensure that counselling facilities are available in all campuses in the state,” she said.
The issues that would come under the cell’s purview include violations of merit norms during admission, withholding of documents or certificates, imposing additional fees for services, lack of proper infrastructure facilities and complaints related to the conduct of examinations.
It will also look into discrimination of various forms, mental and physical torture from college authorities, teachers, students or staff and any form of victimisation. Students can approach the cell if their complaints are not addressed by prevailing mechanisms. The cell will also hear complaints regarding the shortage of classes or tutorials as mandated by university rules.
Appellate mechanism
An appellate mechanism will be set up at the university level in case students are not satisfied with the intervention of the college-level grievance redressal cell. It will have the pro-vice-chancellor as chairperson, student dean or director as convener.
The members are representatives of the syndicate, students’ representatives in the syndicate, the university union chairperson, three teachers (including a woman and an SC/ST teacher) nominated by the syndicate and a university official not below the rank of the assistant registrar. The quorum of the appellate body will be five and its decision will be final.
Composition of the cell
Chairperson: College principal or university HoD
Two teachers, one of whom shall be a woman
Chairperson of college union or dept students union
Two student elected representatives (including one woman)
Differently-abled student and an SC/ST student
Representative of Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Teacher nominated by the Syndicate