MADURAI: Students of a private self-financing college in Virudhunagar, along with members of the Students Federation of India (SFI), staged a sit-in protest at Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) demanding action against the college management for allegedly misleading them over co-education status.
The students claimed that the management admitted male students over the past three years by assuring them that the institution would soon be granted co-educational status. They also urged the university to transfer them to alternative centres to write the upcoming April semester examinations.
Speaking to TNIE, a final-year student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that around 149 male students are currently enrolled in the college, including 51 final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students. “We were repeatedly promised that the college would soon become co-educational. But now, with exams approaching, our future is uncertain.
Despite raising complaints with authorities, including the District Collector, no concrete action has been taken,” he said. He further alleged that the management has been restricting students from attending classes in recent days. Responding to the issue, Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education V. Kalaiselvi said that the college’s application for co-educational status is under process.
“Due to the Model Code of Conduct in force, the government cannot issue a Government Order (G.O.) at present. The matter will be resolved after the election results. Students should continue attending classes in the meantime,” she said.
MKU Registrar (in-charge) S. Muthiah stated that the university would ensure students are not academically affected. “We will take care of attendance requirements and extend the deadline for payment of examination fees. The request to change the examination centre for final-year students has been accepted,” he said.
He added that attempts to contact the college management had not yielded any response. While addressing another concern, he noted that the university would not intervene in fee-related matters and students would have to pay the prescribed tuition fees to the college.
To ensure smooth functioning, MKU has decided to appoint an observer from Monday to monitor whether the management is allowing students to attend classes and appear for examinations.