THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A state-level anti-ragging mechanism will be instituted to address the growing concerns of ragging in higher educational institutions in the state, Higher Education Minister R Bindu has said.
The minister told reporters here on Tuesday that a state-level mechanism to tackle ragging was required as the existing three-tier system — at the level of colleges, universities and the UGC — was found to be insufficient to address the issue.
Bindu said stringent measures will be adopted to curb such practices and protect students. “The higher education department has been instructing all institutions under its jurisdiction to establish anti-ragging cells,” she said.
Referring to the recent incident of ragging at Government College, Karyavattom, the minister said swift action was taken by the anti-ragging cell of the institution in response to the incident. She added that many colleges have successfully put in place such anti-ragging panels.
The minister urged students to boldly report incidents of ragging to either the anti-ragging cell or the principal of the institution.
She added that the government intends to convene a meeting of principals from colleges under the higher education department to create more awareness about the anti-ragging systems that are in place in these institutions.