When freshers first set foot into the
college, they have their inhibitions about interacting with the senior college
students. Also, ragging horror stories that run all over the media add to the
dread. While actual reported cases in Goa are scarce, students and parents can
still breathe a sigh of relief as most colleges in Goa have set up Anti-Ragging
Committees. As per the directions of the Supreme Court of India, an Anti-Ragging
Committee should being constituted in every college in Goa so as to ensure that
ragging in any form does not take place within the campus.
Dr Ajit Parulekar, Chairman of Goa
Institute of Management, Sanquelim, is heading GIM’s Anti-Ragging Committee and
Anti-Ragging Squad 2015-16. He agrees that it is mandatory to have an
anti-ragging committee even though no cases have been registered so far. “In
our college, more than 70 per cent of students come with work experience and
know to how to interact professionally. They sign an Affidavit and also take
the responsibility to report any ragging cases. There will always be a
difference in opinion and interpersonal issues but it does not allow ragging on
campus,” says Dr Ajit. The college organises a 2-3-week orientation program for
the students where they are informed about ragging, sexual harassment and
addressing of grievances.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Dr Pradip Naik, Dean, Goa Medical College
and Hospital, Bambolim, is heading the Anti Ragging Committee for the college
and has taken all the measures to ensure a safe environment for the students.
“The classes for the senior batch are suspended for the first week, when the
first year students join the college. This gives them enough time to
familiarise themselves with the faculty and the campus. There is a constant
watch kept on places where the seniors and juniors may interact like the common
room, canteen and library, to see if there is a healthy interaction taking
place between the students. We also organise a freshers party for an informal
interaction between the students. An orientation program is organised for
students to introduce themselves to the faculty and their fellow students,”
explains Dr Pradip. For the orientation, the 150 students and 100 paramedical
students are taken around the campus, lecture halls and hospital.
As some students opt to stay in the hostel,
the wardens for the boys and girls hostel are also part of the committee. “The
new wings of the hostel were inaugurated recently. The hostels are divided
according to the year of college, which restricts interaction between
students,” adds Dr Pradip.
V M Salgaocar College of Law, Miramar, has
an Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee and Anti-Ragging Committee to protect its
students. B S Patil, Professor, Arbitration and Contract, for Bachelor of Law,
informs, “The students have to sign an undertaking and file an Affidavit with
their parents that states that they will abide by the rules of the college.
There have not been any cases of ragging in this college. Ragging is prominent
in colleges that have hostels as the student lives alone and is vulnerable to
ragging. In colleges, the students know that their parents’ help is always
there. At the most, there might by political rivalry.” In V M Salgaocar College
of Law, the seniors are very helpful towards their juniors, maintaining a
healthy interaction for projects, etc.
“This scenario was very different in our
student days as compared to now. Today, the students are more professional in
their approach and have clarity of their future which is the main reason that
ragging is rare in colleges. There are instances of ragging in the north of
India but things are different in the west and south,” adds Prof Patil.
