Root out ragging with a firm resolve

Updated on: Monday, July 27, 2009

Ragging is a serious issue and it can be curbed only with serious efforts from all the stakeholders taking into account the emotional, psychological and legal aspects. This was the sum of the observations made by prominent speakers from varied fields, at a roundtable on ‘Beyond Raghavan Committee Report : How to Stop Ragging’ organised by The Hindu.

Suggestions that emerged at the meeting were submitted to the State government.

The suggestions are general in nature and not Andhra Pradesh specific. For convenience sake, the suggestions are classified into three categories viz., ‘The Implementables’, ‘The Desirables’, and ‘Interesting observations’. Suggestions in the first category can be implemented immediately. The second category deals with achievable suggestions, which need some planning and policy decisions. The third category has suggestions, which are general in nature.

The Implementables:

The Government should form an official committee to be headed by the Minister for Higher Education. The members could be the Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, Director General of Police, Vice-Chancellor of a university, members of different student unions, parents associations and a senior journalist.

The committee should meet every quarter to review the incidence of ragging cases and measures being initiated to prevent ragging.

Introduction of a ‘mentoring’ system at institutional level where a senior should be entrusted with the task of ‘guiding and protecting’ a junior student or a group of junior student would effectively solve the problem. The senior, under the watchful eyes of the teachers, should take responsibility of juniors. Such system is in vogue in IIT Kanpur and also in Rishi Valley School.

Educational Institutions should initiate suo motu action, if an incident of ragging comes to their notice, rather than waiting for the victim to lodge a complaint.

More focus to be bestowed on colleges in Semi-Urban areas. In such colleges, mostly students from rural background are the victims. Police should form special teams exclusively to visit the campuses at regular intervals.

Police should keep an eye on bus stops and public places during morning and evening, where ragging is likely to take place.

The APSCHE should identify / nominate a nodal person from each institution to coordinate with the SP / CP for coordinating the anti-ragging measures and also for implementation of the laws.

A comprehensive, centralised countdown process with specific cut-off dates, rather than amateurish attempts, should be initiated at the beginning of each academic year to follow up different anti-ragging measures.

All reported incidents or ragging (43) should be studied and analysed by a team comprising socialists, psychologists and persons well-versed in law to suggest solutions.

Strict monitoring of attendance of the juniors should be done. Institutions should themselves organise freshers’ parties to encourage the interaction between seniors and juniors.

All teachers must be involved in the anti-ragging measures initiated at the institution level.

Stress busters like meditation or other motivational sessions like Art of Living classes, especially for students staying in hostels would be helpful.

Provide students a platform to share their firsthand experiences of ragging and the resultant trauma. Let the ragged student, who has now become a senior, take a pledge that he/she would not subject his juniors to the same trauma.

College managements should identify students from rural and lower class backgrounds and ensure / facilitate their interaction with seniors.

There could be pre-induction programmes where freshers and seniors can interact in the presence of management so that they get to know each other.

The Desirables:

Institutions should proactively report the incidents of ragging to relevant authorities.

Deterrence should be blended with a psychological approach. Seniors should be put through programmes aimed at inculcating a sense of camaraderie.

Mere legislations will not solve the problem as ragging is deeply rooted in socio-cultural history and environment with caste overtones. A culture of respecting legislations should be developed across the spectrum.

Three key areas of intervention: spreading awareness among the students and civil society, proper enforcement of laws, and setting up of anti-ragging mechanisms at institutional level.

A close observation of the situation in institutions where incidents of ragging is found to be repetitive and also in districts which have glaring caste bias.

Students be sensitised about the repercussions of ragging. Their emotional quotient has to be increased by conducting regular counselling sessions.

Student organisations should be allowed to function in private colleges also, as strong and active student organisations have played a crucial role in curbing ragging in many university campuses.

Most films glamourise ragging and influenced by it students develop innovative ways of ragging. Scenes depicting ragging should be censored in films and efforts should be made to de-glamour ragging.

Recognise and appreciate classes with no complaints of ragging.

There is a need for democratic atmosphere in college. Wherever, students elections are held, no ragging cases have been reported.

Interesting observations:

Third year students are conspicuous by their absence among perpetrators.

Ragging is rampant in semi-urban colleges, with victims often from rural backgrounds.

Enforcement should result in convictions to deter future incidents. So far none have resulted in conviction.

Managements should identify the hyper-students among second year and third year and organise counselling sessions for them.

Faculty members should never insult any student for any reason in front of others.

The frustration of senior students on account of a variety of factors like their inability to perform well in exams, not being appreciated by faculty etc. forces them to see the juniors as ready victims and ragging thus is an easy outlet for their bottled up feelings.

Moral Science classes should be made compulsory. But not many schools teach moral sciences.

There are some instances where lecturers harass students. This should be checked.

Root out ragging with a firm resolve

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