The 145 affiliated colleges under APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) will be asked to establish grievance redressal committees. This direction comes in light of the suicide of a girl student due to harassment by staff members at a self-financing college in Kanjirapally, Kottayam, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
This decision was arrived at by the syndicate of KTU after a two-member university committee submitted its report after it had probed the incident and situation that pushed the girl students to take the extreme step.
Along the lines of the directives issued by the higher education department, it was also decided that a university-level appellate body will be set up. The running of the Internal Compliance Committee at the university and various other affiliated colleges will also be looked into along with the setting up of a university-level counselling facility for students.
Upon inspection, it was found that many colleges do not have a governing body, college council, college union, department staff association and sports council as per the university statute.
Strict directives will be given to the colleges to form statutory committees in accordance with the University Act passed by the Kerala Legislature and its First Statute.
