Guntur: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has demanded strict implementation of norms in private and corporate schools for the safety of students, including preventing student suicides.
The students, led by the SFI, staged a dharna at Lenin Centre in Vijayawada on Thursday demanding action against private and corporate colleges for being a cause of increasing student suicides. SFI state secretary
Y. Ramu alleged that K. Phanish Chowdary, a first-year Intermediate student, committed suicide due to harassment at Narayana College and demanded stern action against the college management and those guilty.
Mr Ramu reminded that apart from Phanish, one other student, M. Saikrishna, also committed suicide in a separate incident on September 25 in Vijayawada due to increasing pressure exerted by the colleges, to score more marks in examinations.
He said that a majority of private and corporate colleges have been conducting special classes on second Saturday, Sundays and even holidays, violating the norms.
“The Chakrapani Committee and Neeraja Reddy Committee suggested ways to check suicides by college students but the government never implemented the recommendations,” they lamented and demanded implementation of that suggested by both the committees. They demanded installation of CCTV cameras in private and corporate colleges and cancellation of recognition of the colleges if they violated the rules, including conducting classes on holidays.
The SFI leaders urged the state government to order a probe by a sitting judge into the suicide of Phanish. They also demanded stern action against Narayana College, Nidamanuru, where Phanish committed suicide. They urged students not to end lives.
