This is a systematic approach which will use the Internet, the media, and the law to eliminate ragging. An important element of this campaign is to advocate the replacement of ragging with the American-style system of student guides, wherein every fresher has a senior allotted to him or her as a guide.
The long-term aim of the Stop Ragging Campaign is to establish a permanent monitoring and advocacy institution to deal with ragging. Litigation and counselling for victims and a comprehensive outreach programme are also being planned.
We started out as merely a mailing list in June 2004, and immediately started receiving ragging complaints from various parts of India. Mediapersons started writing about our work on their own initiative. So far, in at least two cases we have been able to directly reduce ragging in the institutions of our complainants.
We also seek to research and document the practice of ragging so as to encourage dialogue.
The long-term aim of the Stop Ragging Campaign is to establish a permanent monitoring and advocacy institution to deal with ragging. Litigation and counselling for victims and a comprehensive outreach programme are also being planned.
We started out as merely a mailing list in June 2004, and immediately started receiving ragging complaints from various parts of India. Mediapersons started writing about our work on their own initiative. So far, in at least two cases we have been able to directly reduce ragging in the institutions of our complainants.
We also seek to research and document the practice of ragging so as to encourage dialogue.
"Ragging is the most injurious, criminal and disgraceful practice which should be immediately stopped by students," Patil said while addressing the 25th convocation of the Ranchi University here.
The President said that institutions should be careful and stop the practice "forthwith", as it brings bad name not only to the institutions, but also to the country.
Patil termed consumption of drug as a curse and said, "Drugs debilitate life. Precious lives lose their significance and are ruined. So please put a stop to it also."
She urged students and the academic community to uphold the values of secularism and democracy enshrined in the Constitution.
Education, she noted, is one of the fundamental factors for development and no country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital.
"Globalisation has created an inter-related and an inter-linked world, and we as we have seen, the Indian economy is also getting integrated with the global economy," she said.
Patil said the nation is committed to providing universal primary education and banishment of illiteracy, and described universities as important stakeholders in education.
Pointing out that the Gross Enrolment Ratio in the country in higher education is very low compared to the world average, she said, "Strenuous efforts are required to reach our goal of enhancing GER in India to 20 per cent by 2020."
The entire grammar of development strategy has now changed from "tangible" accumulation of assets to "intangible" accumulation of knowledge, she observed.
"Ideas, innovations and intellectual capital will be the main determinants of higher productivity. Higher education must, therefore, develop analytical, creative and scientific capability of their students," Patil said.
Patil said nations with high quality human resources would be counted amongst the front-ranking nations of the world in the knowledge era.
"Therefore, we have to be careful that by concentrating on quantity we do not compromise on quality," she said.
She stressed on the need for the faculty to be equipped with required knowledge and technical skills to cater to the demand for global markets and said the curricula should be upgraded.
Pointing that education without community participation is incomplete in the present world, Patil said students must interact with local communities and understand their problems.
The President said that institutions should be careful and stop the practice "forthwith", as it brings bad name not only to the institutions, but also to the country.
Patil termed consumption of drug as a curse and said, "Drugs debilitate life. Precious lives lose their significance and are ruined. So please put a stop to it also."
She urged students and the academic community to uphold the values of secularism and democracy enshrined in the Constitution.
Education, she noted, is one of the fundamental factors for development and no country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital.
"Globalisation has created an inter-related and an inter-linked world, and we as we have seen, the Indian economy is also getting integrated with the global economy," she said.
Patil said the nation is committed to providing universal primary education and banishment of illiteracy, and described universities as important stakeholders in education.
Pointing out that the Gross Enrolment Ratio in the country in higher education is very low compared to the world average, she said, "Strenuous efforts are required to reach our goal of enhancing GER in India to 20 per cent by 2020."
The entire grammar of development strategy has now changed from "tangible" accumulation of assets to "intangible" accumulation of knowledge, she observed.
"Ideas, innovations and intellectual capital will be the main determinants of higher productivity. Higher education must, therefore, develop analytical, creative and scientific capability of their students," Patil said.
Patil said nations with high quality human resources would be counted amongst the front-ranking nations of the world in the knowledge era.
"Therefore, we have to be careful that by concentrating on quantity we do not compromise on quality," she said.
She stressed on the need for the faculty to be equipped with required knowledge and technical skills to cater to the demand for global markets and said the curricula should be upgraded.
Pointing that education without community participation is incomplete in the present world, Patil said students must interact with local communities and understand their problems.
"We had earlier asked all college authorities to strictly enforce the
anti-ragging law and take steps to prevent the menace. But incidents
of ragging are still being reported. So, we are sending a fresh set
of notices to the institutions asking them to be more vigilant," said
Jawhar Sircar, the higher education secretary.
According to official records, six freshers have been victims of
ragging this academic season. Many more cases are likely to have gone
unreported.
The government woke up after Diptangshu Ganguly of the Institute of
Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (at SSKM Hospital) was
abused by four second-year students earlier this month.
Over the past year, the Jalpaiguri Engineering College, Siliguri
Institute of Technology, BC Roy Engineering College and National
Institute of Technology in Durgapur and the Hooghly Institute of
Technology have also featured in horror stories. None of the over 40
accused students has been punished. All of them were suspended and
then acquitted.
An official said the chief minister took strong exception to the
incidents. At a recent cabinet meeting, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told
higher education minister Satyasadhan Chakraborty: "Ragging in any
form is a shame for our government. We must stop it."
The minister today said: "We have told the colleges that we will not
spare anybody."
Although an anti-ragging committee exists in all education
institutions — it is mandatory to have one following a Supreme Court
directive — most of them are not active. An official also pointed out
that all the ragging incidents reported took place at night, "which
indicates that there is no proper vigil and the hostel
superintendents are not serious about tackling the problem".
The Dos
• Anti-ragging committee must meet at least once a month
• Hostel superintendent must interact with students to sort out
problems and grievances
• Hostel watchman must
be on alert through the night
• First-year students have
to be segregated from seniors
• Colleges to report to
government on functioning of anti-ragging panel
