Panel: UGC, AICTE not doing enough to check ragging

The University Grants Commission ,All India Council for Technical Education and other educational regulatory bodies...

The University Grants Commission UGC, All India Council for Technical Education AICTE and other educational regulatory bodies on Wednesday came under fire from the Raghavan committee, following the panel8217;s findings that information on ragging incidents were not available with these agencies.

Sources said the Raghavan panel expressed disappointment over the helplessness shown by the apex bodies. The panel asked them to 8220;link release of funds8221; to the 8220;compliance on anti-ragging measures8221; for higher educational institutions.

8220;The release of grants under various schemes of the UGC should be linked with the compliance by institutions with the directions of the Supreme Court on ragging. Incentives by way of higher grants should be provided by the Commission to the higher educational institutions which ensure that ragging does not take place in their campuses in any form,8221; a senior HRD official said.

Raghavan asked the regulatory bodies to prepare strict regulations to enforce anti-ragging measures in the higher educational institutions. He further asked the regulatory bodies to take necessary steps to ensure that educational institutions under their purview become zero tolerance campuses in respect of ragging.

The Committee also asked statutory regulatory bodies to direct educational institutions to incorporate appropriate messages regarding 8216;zero tolerance8217; towards 8216;ragging8217; in admission notices.

It said as the Supreme Court has upheld the recommendation that 8220;ragging lowered the standards of higher education8221;, each regulatory body responsible for maintaining standards of higher education was required to ensure that the directions of the apex court were strictly complied with. Wherever any incident of ragging is reported and institutions do not take adequate steps for redressing the grievance, regulatory bodies must conduct enquiries through fact finding committees, the Committee observed. It urged the Centre to take immediate steps to reinforce anti-ragging measures.