Telangana universities fail to develop web-page for caste discrimination complaints
Representational Image HYDERABAD: Developing a separate page on official website for students to register caste discrimination related complaints, even after three years of Rohith Vemula's death, seems to be an uphill task for several state and central universities in the city which otherwise pride upon their rankings and achievements.
This, despite the University Grants Commission (UGC) issuing a circular nearly six times in the past; twice after Vemula's suicide. Even in its recent circular issued on June 26, the UGC re-iterated its stance of developing a separate webpage for students belonging to the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward caste category.
However, none of the universities and higher educational institutions in the city-including the prestigious ones such as University of Hyderabad, English and Foreign Languages University, Osmania University, and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad-have followed the UGC's orders.
"Several such circulars have been issued in the past. However, there is very little that has been done to address caste discrimination in varsities. While there is an anti-discrimination officer at UoH, there is no ombudsman who can look into complaints that are not addressed by the officer," said N Laxminarayana, member of SC/ST Teachers Forum in UoH.
Not just universities, even private colleges have failed to develop a mechanism to curtail caste discrimination among students and faculty members. This is despite the UGC letters also mentioning colleges/institutions in all its circulars.
While the UGC has sought an action taken report from all universities in every letter issued so far, including the one issued this month, the commission has not yet made the data public as to how many varsities have responded to its query. Even constituent and affiliated colleges have been asked to send reports to the UGC.
As part of the report, higher education institutions have to submit whether they have constituted any committee/cell to look into caste discrimination complaints, whether a webpage has been developed, whether a complaint register is maintained, and the like.
This, despite the University Grants Commission (UGC) issuing a circular nearly six times in the past; twice after Vemula's suicide. Even in its recent circular issued on June 26, the UGC re-iterated its stance of developing a separate webpage for students belonging to the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward caste category.
However, none of the universities and higher educational institutions in the city-including the prestigious ones such as University of Hyderabad, English and Foreign Languages University, Osmania University, and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad-have followed the UGC's orders.
"Several such circulars have been issued in the past. However, there is very little that has been done to address caste discrimination in varsities. While there is an anti-discrimination officer at UoH, there is no ombudsman who can look into complaints that are not addressed by the officer," said N Laxminarayana, member of SC/ST Teachers Forum in UoH.
Not just universities, even private colleges have failed to develop a mechanism to curtail caste discrimination among students and faculty members. This is despite the UGC letters also mentioning colleges/institutions in all its circulars.
While the UGC has sought an action taken report from all universities in every letter issued so far, including the one issued this month, the commission has not yet made the data public as to how many varsities have responded to its query. Even constituent and affiliated colleges have been asked to send reports to the UGC.
As part of the report, higher education institutions have to submit whether they have constituted any committee/cell to look into caste discrimination complaints, whether a webpage has been developed, whether a complaint register is maintained, and the like.
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