In this season of admission, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked central and state varsities and higher education institutions to take several measures for a better campus. The Telegraph
presents here some of the key guidelines that the UGC feels will improve the ambience and performance of the institutions
• Set up counselling centres to deal with academic as well as behavioural problem of students and ensure
interaction with students, teachers and parents.
• Stress on more student-teacher interface with each faculty member assigned at least 25 pupils to resolve various issues faced
by them.
• Teachers should contact parents of students to apprise them of the problem and resolve it.
• Institution should keep parents updated regarding issues attendance and
results of their wards.
• Teacher counsellors to coordinate with wardens of hostels and exchange personal details of students, academic record and behaviour patterns for prompt pre-emptive or corrective action.
• Universities should have their own police stations for quick handling of crisis and preventing untoward incidents on campus.
• Universities advised to adopt some of the best practices implemented by campuses worldwide such as the ‘Warn Me’ model developed by University of California, Berkley. The system helps in sending emergency messages through Internet and mobiles.
• Higher education institutions must ensure the safety of the students by putting in place foolproof mechanisms and impregnable standards of safety. They must protect students from any threats and assaults, physical, social or psychological.
• Both the institution and the hostels must be secured by a boundary wall of such height that it cannot be scaled over easily. It can be further fortified with a fence of spiralling barbed wires mounted on the wall to prevent unauthorised access.
• The entry points to hostels should be restricted to three or less and manned by at least three armed security guards, CCTV cameras. It should also have a identity verification mechanism for unknown entrants/visitors.
• A woman security personnel should be deployed at entry points for physical verification of girl students or women visitors.
• Install biometric attendance system for students, both at the institution as well as hostels, to overcome proxy.
• The bags and other belongings of students/visitors should be examined manually and/or by metal detectors to secure a weapon-free and violence-free campus.
• Students and staff should be provided easily identifiable and authentic ID cards and wearing of such cards in the
institution should be made mandatory.
The response
We welcome the decisions of the UGC and will implement them soon
G.K Panda
PG council chairman,
Utkal University.
We are extremely happy that the new guidelines have recommended for medical facilities and at least one ambulance that should be kept in ready mode for attending to emergency and crisis situations
Rajeshraj Swain
president, Utkal University
students’ union
Telegraph picture
