Maintaining campus discipline in colleges is not a difficult task for college authorities in the Madurai city. Self-discipline appears to be the mantra of students, who are influenced by teachers standing as role models, say college faculty and principals.
Several colleges in and around Madurai do not have specific committees to enforce anti-smoking rules or anti-ragging rules. Yet, there have been no instances of students seen smoking on the campuses, indulging in ragging or eve-teasing in the recent years, say principals of various colleges.
Madura College Principal R. Murali, says, “There has been no need to have an anti-ragging committee in our college. In fact, the senior students organise welcome parties in the beginning of the academic year, where they bond with the freshers,” he adds.
According to Mr.Murali, smoking is prohibited on the campus, but there is no committee to monitor it. “There have been reports of a few students smoking outside the campus and consuming liquor. We try to help them get out of the habit through counselling. We have a system where each faculty member offers counselling to around 40 students,” he says.
Unlike numerous colleges in the city, which prohibit use of mobile phones on the campus, Madura College and Madurai Kamaraj University College are among the few institutions that allow students to bring mobile phones to the campus.
“At a time when technology has seeped through all walks of life, there is no need to discourage the younger generation from using technology. Students keep their cell phones switched off during class hours. We are also against moral policing. We encourage our male and female students to work together on projects and competitions,” says Mr.Murali.
S. Irulappan, Principal of Madurai Kamaraj University College, says that the faculty members adopt a student-friendly approach to ensure a healthy atmosphere in the college. “We have committed teachers who are easily accessible to the students. None of the teachers smokes or drinks. We are amicable to the students, who imbibe our positive qualities,” he adds.
A first year MCA student of The American College, V.R. Muthusaravanan, says that students generally refrain from smoking on the campus. “The parents are summoned in extreme cases and even disciplinary actions are taken,” he says.
Fatima College and Sri Meenakshi Government College for Women are among the colleges that follow strict rules, prohibiting students from using cell phones on the campus and imposing restrictions on dress code.
J. Uma, Principal of Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College for Women, says that the use of cell phone is prohibited in the college and the hostel, and the students are asked to wear saris and salwars only, based on a circular issued by the Department of Collegiate Education.
Engineering institutions like K.L.N. College of Engineering imposes uniform dress code on the students, while other engineering colleges have banned T-shirts and jeans. Anti-ragging committees are functional in most of the colleges, but there have been no reports of ragging, say students and college management.
A few educational institutions in the Temple City seem to have set a trend by remaining friendly with their students hoping that others would follow.
