Ensure safety of girl students on campus

Chennai: Observing the trend of harassment of girl students in technical institutions, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has urged engineering colleges to ensure the safety of girl students in educational campuses.

“It has come to the notice of the council that incidents of harassment, intimidation, discrimination, corporal punishment of girl students
are still happening in several technical institutions,” AICTE said in the letter quoting its member secretary Alok Prakash.

Asserting the AICTE’s policy of zero tolerance with regard to harassment of students, particularly girl students in technical institutions, he said, “It is unfortunate that such incidents of harassment of girl students are happening in educational campus and it discourages girl students to go for higher studies.”
 He also made it clear to the technical institutions and universities including the deemed to be universities that harassment, discrimination of any kind of girl students should not be tolerated by AICTE.

If such incidents are found to be true, penalty would be imposed on the perpetrators of such crimes, the letter said. “If such incidents come to the notice of the council, appropriate action including the withdrawal of approval will be taken against such institutions,” he warned.

He also requested the principals to personally ensure that college or university campus is free of such incidents of intimidation and harassment of any kind and safe for girl students. Anna University forwarded the AICTE’s letter to more than 500 engineering institutions in the state on Tuesday.