Unedifying education

November 18, 2008: News Today Editorial  

The recent violence inside the Government Law College, Chennai has sent shock waves across the State, creating a sort of panic among the people. Due to the violence, one student is battling for life and two others are recuperating in the hospital with injuries and a few others have been treated as outpatients. 
As an after effect, yesterday, another third year student attempted suicide inside the premises of the government general hospital. As a consequence, all the law colleges across the State and the law-students’ hostels have been officially closed indefinitely.

The semester examinations, which started on the fateful day, have been postponed. The government has constituted a judicial enquiry and the police are going ahead with enquiries and investigations apart from search operations to apprehend the absconding students, who were involved in the violence.

While the school life for the students is supposed to be full of innocence and learning, the college and university life is crucial in the sense that it shapes their career and future.

In comparison, the schools are more organised and disciplined with uniform dress code and strict rules for the students, whereas, in colleges, they get a sudden exposure to freedom. They also get exposed to the culture of politics, caste differences, trade unions and cinema, which cast a bad spell on their psyche.

Leaders of political outfits and caste outfits create divisions among  student community, which indulge in fighting with one another also due to their affiliation to specific cinema stars’ fans associations. The reservation policy plants the seed of poison in the minds of the students right at the time of admission in colleges and universities. This policy segregates the students along caste lines affecting their unity.

The faculties also tend to practice discrimination among the students based on their own affiliation causing a lot of discomfort. The management, faculty, students, and non-teaching staff, all look at different directions and the environment doesn’t seem to be conducive for learning.

All of them forget the most important aspect of education that, students are the leaders of tomorrow and that the progress of the country is directly proportional to the career growth of the student community. If the students stand divided, then the country will get only ‘separatists’.

The apt example is the Dravidian movement, which started on the plank of separation, plummeting the State into peril in the last five decades. The deterioration in the student-culture is a clear evidence of that.

The practice of ragging, violence during student union elections, condemnable behaviour during ‘bus-day’ celebrations, indulgence in eve teasing, political demonstrations and caste conflicts are some of the unwanted developments having drastic consequences.

The Madras High Court has not upheld a PIL yesterday, which was filed by a city-based advocate seeking to restrain the students from joining caste outfits and political outfits. The Bench has refused to restrain the students from doing so by saying that HC could not interfere with ‘individual liberty’.

Fair point. But there has to be some check to prevent gutter politics from entering the lives of students.  

The HC Bench has rightly observed that the law college authorities should take serious notice of the students’ indiscipline thereby ensuring the maintenance of proper discipline and non-indulgence of students in divisive movements and politics.

The parent community must understand their responsibility and play a vital role in shaping the future of their wards and the government must take stringent measures of banning unwanted practices of student unions and caste outfits. The government must also take severe actions against those caste leaders and politicians, who instigate and involve the students in violence and politics.

The recent caste conflict and violence in the government law college has had its effect throughout the state and yesterday it has resulted in closing of a ‘school’ in Thiruvarur. The poison of caste politics has gone down to the level of schools, which shows the sad state of affairs in the State. A clear review and a total revamp are needed in the system of running colleges and universities.    

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