To protect future of students
The Supreme Court’s directive that key posts such as Vice Chancellors and Registrars in higher education institutions across the country must be filled within one month of falling vacant has been widely welcomed. The move is expected to help prevent practices that adversely affect students’ futures. It is unfortunate that many higher education institutions have been left without leadership due to power struggles between authorities. In Kerala alone, the posts of Vice Chancellor in eleven universities are currently lying vacant.
Since retirement dates are known in advance, recruitment processes should begin early. This would make it possible to fill vacancies within a month. As a first step, the court has given four months' time to fill vacancies in the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, faculty, and other key administrative posts in all public and private higher education institutions. Teaching and non-teaching vacancies must also be filled within this period, and special recruitment drives should be conducted for reserved posts. The apex court issued these guidelines while hearing petitions related to student suicides in higher educational institutions.
The court has also directed that any pending student scholarships must be disbursed to eligible students within four months. Central and state governments have been asked to take necessary action. If there are specific reasons for not being able to disburse scholarships, institutions must inform the authorities in writing within two months and ensure that such delays do not happen in the future. It must be ensured that no student is prevented from writing examinations, expelled from hostels, or barred from attending classes if they are unable to pay fees due to delays in the disbursement of scholarships. Mark sheets and degree certificates must not be withheld. A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan warned that strict action would be taken if these directions are violated.
The guidelines were issued after examining the recommendations of a committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge S Ravindra Bhat, with the aim of ensuring that no more lives are lost in campuses due to caste discrimination, ragging, gender discrimination, sexual harassment or academic pressure. Institutions have been directed to immediately inform the police in cases of student suicides. Authorities cannot evade their responsibility to ensure that campuses are safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments. The court also directed higher education institutions to submit annual reports to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on student suicides and suspicious deaths. It further stressed the need for “Equal Opportunity Cells” on campuses to support students from marginalised communities, rural backgrounds, transgender persons, and students with disabilities. The deaths of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad and tribal student Payal Tadvi at T.N. Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai had earlier sparked widespread debate in the country’s academic circles.