The student council of the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (NIT Trichy) met with the Dean of Students Welfare and the Hostel Administration Committee over the alleged discrimination in access to various academic facilities on campus due to the imposition of strict hostel timings for girls. The students have alleged that the compulsory roll call time of 9.00 pm on weekdays and 9.30 pm on weekends that requires the girl students to return to their hostel, named Opal, or risk paying fines, or even suspension was discriminatory.
Speaking with EdexLive, Dean of Students Welfare at NIT Trichy, Dr N Kumaresan, said, "The student council gave the proposal for accessing the library and other facilities. We have looked into all the demands and considered them."
First up, curfew timings
For starters, the administration has agreed to grant a fifteen-minute relaxation to the 'roll call' time, for which, girl students are required to be back in their hostel by 9.00 pm on weekdays and 9.30 pm on weekends. Students were also assured that they will be given access to all academic zones they requested in their proposal such as the department labs, training and placement cell, student activity centre and the library after 9.00 pm through a simple procedure. This involves getting a permission form signed by the faculty-in-charge, who will then inform the respective security guard of the centre.
"All the facilities for students to use NIT Trichy is the first to allow students to use all facilities because it has been created for the students to use it. They are well within their rights to demand to use it," insisted Dr Kumaresan.
Students also asked that they be allowed to go out for birthday parties and other events and not be fined when they return late. To this, the administration said that the students and the parents will have to sign an undertaking relieving the institute of any responsibility for the students' well-being in such a scenario. Also, if the students come back intoxicated, they will be suspended without inquiry.
Dr Kumaresan also clarified that the roll call procedure was in place for the institute's internal management system. "We will implement it without gender discrimination. We will look into it. The roll call is for our operational purpose and is there for that objective," he said. There have always been a large number of girls taking admission to NIT Trichy due to the facilities available on campus, the Dean claimed.
What do students have to say?
Reacting to these changes, one of the students told EdexLive, on the condition of anonymity, "It's not great progress, but we are still glad. Something is better than nothing. We will trial run this, see how it works for a month or so and then think of the next step."
All that has happened so far
The issue first ignited when students submitted a proposal to the Director of the institute via email, highlighting the fact that while girls are required to return to their hostels at 9.00 pm on weekdays and 9.30 pm on weekends, no such restrictions apply to boys. Therefore, girls are denied access to common facilities such as laboratories and often end up receiving the short end of the stick in group projects, while struggling with their own assignments as well, the students claimed.
In response to this email, the Dean of Students Welfare met with the students on October 12 and it was during this meeting that the students allege he asked them to choose between equality or education. Agitated, the students sat in silent protest in front of the administrative block on October 14, demanding a meeting with the Director. At the time, the Registrar, who spoke with the students, assured them that their concerns will be heard during a meeting. This meeting happened today, October 18.
Roll call heading towards digitisation?
Dr Kumaresan also said that the institute is planning to reduce the tedious process of procuring sign-out forms and consent letters to leave the hostel beyond the roll call hours. "We are planning on digitising it. It should be simple enough software and students can in fact build it themselves. Students can conveniently get the requisite permissions on their mobile phones or computers," said Dr Kumaresan.
For a long-term fix, students have asked that the roll call timings for both boys and girls be increased to 11.00 pm. "They said that they will have to update some facilities in order to implement that. 'We are not saying no. Just give us some time and we will work on it. We will go step by step,' they said," a student aware of the meeting told Edexlive.
