There is something uncannily similar in the way students behave on the engineering campuses here. In one, the buses arrive and the girls get down and walk in groups, followed much later, by the boys. One of them hurriedly puts away his iPod in his bag. “I am going to get caught one of these days. They don't allow these things but what to do during the four hours of commute,” says the third year student.
Further away, at the dining area which has separate seating for girls and boys, a group of men gets alert when they see a girl and a boy talking, and ask them what the issue is. “We target only those who have bad intentions, not all,” says one of them. This scene at Jeppiar Engineering College is not very different from that at many other engineering colleges. “A boy once helped me in my project. The counsellor immediately called me and publicly humiliated me saying, ‘I am developing bad habits,” says Chitra of Panimalar Institute of Technology.
Campuses seem to be infested with restrictions of all kind. Students can leave campus only twice a month; that too after producing fax messages from their parents. Separate staircases for girls and boys are common. But a conversation between a male and a female student is what earns the maximum wrath of faculty members.
A supervisor patrols every floor and every bus in many top engineering colleges. “A ‘behaviour in-charge' berates students publicly if they notice anything ‘wrong',” says V. Prabhu, a former student of Sri Sairam College of Engineering.
The ‘violations' range from ‘unnecessarily talking to boys/girls, not wearing id card, not being dressed in salwar - kurta with a ‘v-shaped dupatta' pinned on both sides or formals, says a student of Sathyabhama University. Trees have been cut off, say students, to make sure boys and girls do not gather under them.
“If the teachers see you talking to boys, it gives them a bad impression. So even in the absence of rules, we play it safe because they mark us for our internals,” adds Priya of Velammal Engineering College. Colouring the hair or not wearing a dupatta is taboo in most colleges.
So have students never protested? “Last year, they introduced separate seating areas for students, depending on the number of arrears they had. We protested and we remain barred from industrial visits,” says a student of Vel Tech Technical University. “Recently, some of us were threatened with suspension for laughing loudly with friends outside the campus, he adds.
The case in hostels is no different. “Cell phones are allowed only in hostels, but no romantic ring tones; else, they will evoke ‘romantic feelings' in us, says our warden” laughs Raghuvir of Panimalar Institute of Technology. Counsellors who are supposed to be a source of relief to students seem to exist only to talk students of relationships and sometimes, even report matters to the management.
An alumnus of Anna University, Sai Pradhyuman, remembers how several years ago, a professor who had come to their class to teach a subject in mechanical engineering was shocked to see that girls and boys were seated together.
“He stormed outside the class and later insisted that we follow ‘decency'. Much later, he acquired positions of power and introduced dress codes for the students of the University,” he recalled. College heads and parents, however, have a different opinion. K. S. Babai, principal, Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College, feels strict rules are necessary to prepare the students for life.
“We feel we can correct them here. They are adolescents who need to be told what is wrong and we are just doing that.” These rules are the reason I think my son will not get into bad company, feels A. Ramkumar, a parent of a student in St. Mary's Engineering.
“Late adolescent is when students are bound to have an intimate relationship,” says S. Yamuna, an adolescent physician. “A restricted environment will only prompt students to go against rules. Colleges often bring in these rules as a reassurance to parents that they are providing their children a safe environment, but parents need to realise that instead of prohibiting them, parents should encourage their children to discuss their lives with them.”
Keywords: Chennai Colleges, moral policing
These colleges ain't IIT !!!! and never can be ! So they dont need to act like a premier college ! All these customs for what reason !!! These institutes narrow students exposure and are the plight of our nation taking our economy 50 years back ! Please protest and stop this !
The scenario is same all over the chennai..they are telling us that they want to prepare us for the professional life..n this is how they are building the personalty of an individual..we can choose a leader after 18 but we cannot choose a life partner..this is really shocking..falling in love is not a crime...In many other arts and scinece colleges in chennai they have many rules which is totally toxic for others to survive..nobody can go out after 5pm,but undergraduates can go only once in a month on top of that ollege is not having any kind of facility inside the campus..eventhough u r dying ur local guardian should come and pick u up..no matter what happens to the student..if u want to take sick leave take it 2days before u fall sick..as if we know we are going to fall sick on that day..talking to girls or boys is social taboo among the colleges..
I am appalled by some of the comments above. Even though they show
disgust at the way the universities in question are handling the
situation in hand, they seem to agree that it is an 'issue' in the
first place. We pride ourselves to be liberal, free thinking
individuals of the 21st century who fight for women's rights and
demand gender equality. Yet when it comes to something as pure and
innocent as a relationship between a boy and girl, we view it as
something to be looked down upon and trampled in the bud. Our society
expects girls to grow up ashamed of their own bodies, hormones and
feelings towards the opposite gender and suddenly as they reach their
early twenties, get married to a complete stranger and be absolutely
comfortable doing the "unspeakable" with him. The hypocrisy of the
situation leaves the liberal in me horrified, running desperately to
jump off a cliff.
I would love for someone to explain to me why it is so wrong for two
legal aged adults to fall in love.
As being a student of Veltech University ,one of the above mentioned
college. I can say the main reason of imposing such rules and
regulations is that most of the management people are passed out from
these kind of colleges only. They are not exposed to the liberal
education system. My college dosn't have much extra facilities for
extra curriculum and sport activities. They have high student intake
than their capacities. and most of the such deemed universities have
been blacklisted for de recognization and the no of students joining
such colleges is declining sharply....in coming days if they don't
bend their attitude it will really be hard for them to survive as the
no. of seats for engineering courses have exceeded than the demand!
I'd like to make a few points here (literally):
1. In the corporate world, it's not just important to be technically sound but to have good communication skills. 2. Gender based discrimination deprives the student of social development. 3. By implying that "talking" to the opposite sex is equivalent to harboring romantic feelings, the system indirectly highlights the sexuality of the students, making it difficult for them to develop platonic relationships with the opposite sex. 4. Adolescence is when you try and push boundaries and question rules. If the rules are illogical and expected to be followed mechanically, the student "will break free" at the opportunity. 5. With the rise in homosexuality amongst Indian students (don't pretend it isn't real), what's next? Four different staircases?
I totally accept the Point of Ms.K. S. Babai, principal, Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College,Because I am an Alumni of that college, We had strict rules , But it is only in Studies , not others like mobile or taking with girls,we have never faced any problem in 4 yr of engineering, even my juniors ,Rules are necessary to prepare the students for life.But the rules must be in proper stream Line.Because if Discipline and Descendent is not there you will never be successful.and I think Parents has to take up this and see what there Child does...,
I'm surprised to see this article after so many years after quitting my job at Jeppiaar's JCE. As a woman teaching staff member I was not allowed to share the same staff room as my male colleagues and nobody dared to even exchange pleasantries like "hello" or "good morning" to each other, while walking about in the campus. Back then there were no trees at all, since "girls and boys would use these trees and have plenty of shade to fall in love - and be distracted in their studies." I can't believe that it has not changed after all these years! Nevertheless, students had crushes, fell in love, sometimes eloped, and got married too - just like in every other place on earth where men and women live as fellow human beings. When will we teach our youngsters to respect each other (male and female) as fellow human beings? Till institutions like these continue such gender - based discriminations and promote such segregation, our society would be plagued by gender inequalities.
Talking to guys is not immoral, it is natural, infact the more you restrict, the more attractive is the mystery of the opposite sex increases, people like these admistrators are the sole reason why boys dont view women as normal human beings but as something they need to explore.Having grown up in Chennai and having parents who welcomed male friends of mine at home, I can see the difference between me and people whose parents were too restrictive, they landed up doing something outrageous, while I lead a very normal and boring life.
the concept of equating educational institutions with temples and churches does not augur well. If you take a overview of the temples in Tamilnadu you can find a lot of erotic sculpture inside the prakaram depicting sexual acts. There were devadasis around the temples for dancing on many occasions and in many occasions the rich landlords exploited them for their pleasure. In many families for marriage of their children parents ask the proposar to come to temple to see the girl. Leave alone Hindu temples, even in churches contacts and personal relationships are built thru the church membership. matrimonial affairs are common in church campus. Business contacts are also made thru churches. There is economic disparity among church members.
What I want to say is the human beings are social animals and live with relationships in any condition and situation. building a healthy relationship between men and women will lead to great India of the future. No moral policing is going to hold them.
The more strict, the more likely to break the rules and tempted to act against in terms of anger, frustration and so on. Therefore, let's give a space for everything. There is not harm in talking and making friends among boys and girls, but one's need to maintain the discipline and limitation.
Absolute rubbish
yes.what ever menction in the article is correct,
i was the student of sathyabama university and face all these problem.we are not allowed to talk to girls.
and few things i want to add is after passing 1st year when we return form our semester holidays all north Indians were forced to leave the hostel.
still many boys and girls keep the mobile in hidden from teachers and warden.
everynight the warden will make a round of all the floors and whoever he heard talking in mobile. they will sease it. later on they use to diatribute the same to there own emplyees.
living in hostel for 1 years was like living in jail for 4 years in engineeirng college
And what is the point of being a "Co-ed" college where co existence of
two sexes are prohibited!! Why not make boys only colleges and girls
only colleges? The basic excuse of introducing discipline is by force.
When they pass out of the colleges and start working, they are under
no such pressure of discipline and parental supervision, what then?
Will you system be carried on by the obedient students or will they
chuck it off and follow their own thinking?
The basic logic of coeducation is completely shattered by this kind of
attitude. Besides, how would you know, what is improper behaviour
between the boy and the girl, unless physically evident? Being
proactive in that sense is killing the very interaction itself.
From the school that i come, we were encourage to sit along with
girls, do many school curriculum activities together. This healthily
continued to college life also. And people come out better groomed
when they have interaction with the opposite sex in the adolescent
stages
I completed my engineering not too long ago in one of the govt-aided
colleges. And there was no rules what-so-ever like those being
described in this article. I traveled to my home town(2 hrs away)
every weekend and there were never any restrictions on who can talk to
whom or who takes which staircase.
And in the labs and academics, boys and girls almost always mingled
and worked together, without any problem. And they came out with
excellent results and solutions.
If these kinds of rules exist in say, 50 of the 400 odd colleges, it
doesn't mean that it happens all over the place. There are wonderful
colleges with excellent infrastructure, and very few restrictions and
lots of freedom - The proper definition of an educational institution.
'Ridiculous' does not even begin to describe what passes for decorum
at Jeppiar institutions. I am yet to meet a student from one of these
colleges who actually misses the college on passing out. Saying that
boys and girls need to be subjected to such draconian rules actually
shows the students' maturity levels in a very poor light. Contrary to
what that control-freak founder thinks, boys and girls are NOT dying
to fall all over each other at the first opportunity, but policing of
this kind can actually push them into doing what they're not supposed
to. Don't the parents of these students trust their children and the
values they have taught them???
And with all these rules, why even bother with a co-ed setup?? Oh
sorry, that's where the donations come in from...... good luck to your
engg grads who will probably be looking around for segregated
staircases and work-bays at their first jobs.
I studied at St. Josephs' during late 90's, the situation was worse that
what is described above.
How are these young professionals going to tackle work environment,
without having any social interaction with people of the opposite sex?
I studied in a National Law University, and the kind of freedom one
gets there is unimaginable. At the time,I obviously did not realize that I was the minority student population who never had to face any restrictions.
But my brother is now in an engineering college, and faces all these pathetic rules, and I feel really sorry for him, but more so for the authorities who think that dupattas and segregation are the high Gods of culture..! PS: I'd love to take these authorities on a tour of my college. They'd probably die of shock from the blatant "indecent" behaviour!!
1. First of all, it is unconstitutional to deny freedom to students to talk to each other on the basis of gender. 2. And very important thing here is that many students join these colleges without knowing these regressive rules before joining -- they are told of this rubbish only after joining the college.3. And if you are thinking that these retrograde things are happening only in Jeppiar institutes in Tamil Nadu, you are 100% wrong -- there are few other colleges too. 4. And usually the mindset that is encouraged by the management in such colleges will be a narrow mindset in various spheres including education. There will be intimidation possible in such colleges as these colleges usually keep your 10th and 12th std original certificates with them(it is illegal to keep originals).-> So students, beware! There are a few excellent colleges(SRM,etc) in TN but there are also a few regressive colleges -- the managements of the colleges do not tell you their stupid rules before joining.
The road to dictatorship is laid in college. There was one HITLER in Germany. There are many HITLERS in TN Engineering colleges. What is the use of such strictness?? The Quality of education is not offered. They pointed out about the preparation of life. Is it to protect the person from all odd things called preparation of life??? They should be given a chance to face the situation. They will learn only by doing mistakes. Life is not about just living without hurdle but strength to tackle the hurdles and move forward. Here the institution prepares us to be a coward. No freedom to think. Damn system. That's why there is no innovation but just clerical staffs are being produced in our country.
The largest mistake of this article......SASTRA UNIVERSITY is missing...!!
I am pursuing engineering in north India, and I can happily state that such restrictions are never imposed on us, rather the faculty and college staff encourage us for a proper interaction between boys and girls so as to build up a healthy relationship and a proper professional ambiance in the campus.
These 4 years enhance not only the academic part of a student but also help polishing the entire mental growth of the budding professional. So at last I would like to say that there's no point imposing such restrictions, because more the restrictions are, more the students get indulged in wrong doings.
It is indeed very nice that The Hindu has brought this in the open. This has been
happening for too long. Backward people start educational institutions and
propagate their archaic culture. What a sad state of affairs. This is what provokes sex
crimes, frustrations and a sick society.
Colleges are free to enforce moronic regulations as they see fit. Students
are free to evaluate the colleges and make an informed decision about
enrollment. Who is forcing anyone to enroll in these third-rate degree
shops?
It is a well-known fact that Jeppiaar's institutions are the most corrupt and backward institutions, that admit students not on merit but purely on payment of "Capitation fees". In this way, engineering seats are sold. The reason why the government is keeping silent on this, is that in India, in Tamil Nadu (the "numero uno" state) money power is greater than any other power.
Not only in this piece of news shocking, but quite saddening as well.
An educational institution starts moral policing its students, that is
where we need to draw a line.
But what is even more astonishing is the apparent apathy the senior
staff of these institutions have towards issues raised by their
students.
If only they could put effort into imparting quality education, rather than wasting all that energy ensuring boys and girls can't interact. A lot of people are asking why students study in these colleges if the situation is so bad. That condoning an accepted practice is proof that it's not really as bad as the article says. Well, folks, I wish you'd open your eyes to the facts- students don't choose their own college, it's their parents who do. The students are basically just cattle handed by the parents to the college to do with them as they please. And cattle who step out of line are asking to be prodded. Students who fight injustice are hammered down, their reputation ruined. And we're taught from a young age that once you get a black mark from your correctional facility *ahem* college, you fail at life. Students who fight back rarely get support from home. They're disowned, left to rot, without the skills to make it in the real world. No wonder no one stands up for their rights.
I Studied at the Sathyabama University a few years back ....and the life there was actually WORSE than being portrayed here.... It is my biggest regret that I had to waste my precious 4 years there .. The conditions are inhuman and the students have no say in anything ... a few years back NDTV had reported on the crazy rules but nothing came of it. Jeppiar still does what he wants ..
Such upbringing will cause unwanted problems in the future. Boys and girls should talk to one another and it should be a healthy way of bringing up. Fear is created through such restrictions. Freedom from Fear builds Leaders. Do we want Leaders for our country or not is the question.
Bharat has been the foremost in following the Sanatan Dharma. Educational Institutes that follow the code of discipline are also among the AAA rated universities in this country. The children are healthy in mind and follow their studies seriously. That is the objective of colleges and not a free mingling of sexes. Blame it on Rowdy college culture depicted in movies, where flirting and co-ed picnics bunking lectures and roaming around malls and cinema theaters is the norm. Modern Colleges 1. Sex touts are frequently found around these modern colleges. 2. Cigarette stalls with drug junkies hidden in the background. 3. Fast bikes and Cars where the boys take the girls for a ride every now and then. Fatal Accidents are quite the norm. 4. Cinema Stalls, showing B-Grade movies to these kids. 5. Disrespect for parents and teachers. 6. They only produce dropouts and rejects in society.
I believed India to be a Sovereign country, which treated men and women equally , no gender discrimination, no caste discrimination and no caste discrimination. It hurts me to see such atrocities based on so called 'traditions' maligning our day-to-day lives. I strongly believe that such imbecile formalities are driving away the educated masses to tolerant nations like the USA, UK etc...
Change is the only thing that is constant, therefore change or perish.
Conservatism and moral policing are one of the root causes of unhealthy perceptions about the opposite sex, eve teasing et al ... because without exposure to the opposite sex most young people develop unhealthy attitudes towards them (like in saudi arabia) .... do we want to be like that? .... its a pity too many "old people" think conservatism and moral policing to be the equivalent of righteousness .... maybe its time for them to realise that the waters around them have flown
I am a counselling psychotherapist and I find this repression shocking. Preventing male and female students from interacting, talking and forging friendships with each other in private engineering colleges of Tamil Nadu is the worst form of moral policing which will only psychologically stunt and scar the male and female students. The students will never be able to initiate and sustain natural interactions and friendships with individuals of the opposite gender which will affect their growth and mental health as individuals. Prevention of interaction with students of the opposite gender in colleges will also lead to psycho-sexual anomalies and disorders in students and will also reduce the support network of friends for a student, which will in turn increase student depression and suicides. Such repression based on gender segregation is also illegal.
The article unintentionally has painted a wrong picture about the state of Engineering colleges in Chennai.I studied in SRM and I have friends who have studied in SVCE and SSN. Believe me, these colleges are way different from what the article has portrayed.
SRM has basically given us so much freedom that we literally didn't know that to do with that. A good three years of my life was spent in my college NCC and guess what, SRM has the best NCC amongst Engineering colleges in Chennai. My juniors have given the famous Arts colleges a run for their money in the annually conducted Cadofest competitions. My college mates are not just Software Professionals or MBAs or Engineers. I have friends who are film makers, Artists, Actors, Writers, Entrepreneurs etc., Hell, one guy has his own music band at UK.
Though I agree with the authors that the colleges run by a particular group are bad, it'd hav been great had the authors talked about SRM, SVCE and SSN too.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
- Rabindranath Tagore
What a contrast compared to life in Pune at one of the prestigious Symbiosis Institutes...where one professor was shocked as to why guys and gals were sitting separately ( Separate meaning not in the same bench ;).. ) . Where in every group activity there had to be an equal number of guys and gals. And trust me eve teasing was unheard of in the campus and everyone went on to become very successful professionals ( financially and socially)
If the students found these practices unacceptable, then they should have boycotted these colleges. But ironically, these are the most sought after colleges. By choosing these colleges, students are in a way accepting the fact that they need such policing for concentrating on studies. Students who study there, might need such disciplining. Then why ridicule a accepted practice?
I studied in a school were boys and girls talking to each other was considered a sin. We were always warned and scolded if the faculty saw us talking to boys, no matter what the conversation was about. According to them, there was no need for the girls and boys to talk with each other. We even had separate batches for boys and girls,that too in a co - educational institution. All boys in one class and all the girls in another. Having experienced the situation, what I feel is that these type of barriers will only help in creating a society of introverts. It was when I joined college I realized, that I have the capability of socializing with people and making friends. I would never recommend such schools or colleges to anyone. It is time they realize and change their attitude towards co-education.
This happens to most of the TN colleges i Experienced my self and took a decision never ever will study in this state.
These ridiculous restrictions are only applied in colleges under Mr. Jeppiar's management. Other engineering colleges do not interfere in their students' personal and social lives unless they are endangered.
Yes, I agree that Jeppiyar group is a pioneer in this type of moral policing and this menace has spread its tentacles to all other colleges in Tamilnadu, with IIT-M being the latest to jump into the bandwagon. The reason for all this is because, the professors and Deans don't have any other academic work involving high quality research but only to spy on the harmless innocent adolescents who are just into the threshold of their life? Are we not stifling their growth all in the name of moral policing, implementing dresscode et al. Wayback in 1990s, Seetalakshmi Ramasamy College of Trichy was the pioneer in this dress code and immediately the Holy Cross College followed it up blindly. I used to remember how my sisters complain about the letters being opened by the hostel wardens to see the contents. Only after reading & after deeming fit, it will be given to the student. Bonafide letters from parents only are entertained.
I remember an incident that happened at College of Engineering, Guindy. Three first year girls had gone to the Elliot's beach and were supposed to return to the hostel by 9pm. But they were late by 20 minutes. So they were not allowed inside the hostel. Those girls were all new to Chennai and had nowhere to go. They called me up and asked me to help. Since I was studying at IIT Madras, I sneaked them into my hostel and they spent the night at my hostel. I feel paying the fine is much better than letting such young girls on Chennai roads for the whole night. when will the authorities realise this?
I see a lot of skirting around the big question in the comments: Is a
relationship before marriage inherently bad?
All around the world except in India and some other Muslim countries,
people get into a relationship, get to know a girl better, fall in
love, and if things work out, marry. You don't just jump into
marriage much like you don't jump into sea without learning swimming.
I wonder if everyone in the world is amoral from the point of view of
these regressive idiots. As far as I know, some of the most
hypocritical people come actually from India, where there are these
restrictions and then, half of the world's AIDS affected population.
And of course, the managers of these correctional facilities
(colleges) are not enlightened souls providing literacy to the needy.
Quite a few of them have a dark past who had illegally and amorally
earned money that were laundered into these more money-making
businesses (colleges), and are being run as their personal fiefdoms.
Absurd....Ridiculous
In 1982 when I WAS a student in Medical college a girl student came late to a class and was hesitating to sit in the only vacant chair between boys and the Prof. admonished her for being mentally immature. The managements and the teaching faculty in Engg. colleges should understand that the present day students are more mature than the older generation.
Moral policing at its best! People in India are so keen to check whether others are living acoording to "society's standards". These hypocrites have no issues spying on their neighbors to make sure they live according to Indian culture. As far as "separation" is concerned, I studied in a school in the UAE and we didn't have this bifurcation necessarily, but boys and girls had classes in different shifts. There were no restrictions against interactions between boys and girls, but it was minimal due to timings. And when I came down to India for higher studies, I found it really awkward to interact with girls as it was really free here.
Now we know why the employability of the engineering graduates in Tamil Nadu is the lowest in the country, and why their communication skills are the worst.
I've noticed that young boys and girls coming out from TN engg colleges to IT profession often lack interpersonal skills and take a long time to adapt to the work culture. They just dont know how to talk freely to women. They find it even more difficult when they move abroad. Now I know the reason!
This is just Talibanisation of education. Despicable and condemnable at its worst. Such attitudes just do not earn any respect. I have heard so from former students who live in the USA complain about such treatment for students. Every job including mining requires men and women to mingle and work together. What is the management doing by saying they prepare students for the outside world? The boys wouldn't even know how to talk to girls. Is that what you expect of your students? What social skills will they have outside of campus? Did you think about it?
I studied at a rural university in the late 80s, even there the situation wasn't this bad. It is worth reminding that in those days boys and girls did not talk freely in the rural areas. I know people from Pakistan who laughed at this article when I posted it on facebook. Shameful!!
“We feel we can correct them here. They are adolescents who need to be
told what is wrong and we are just doing that.”- Is he talking about
an education institution or a juvenile correction facility. These kind
of restrictions are intended to foster the herd mentality in students
by ensuring conformity to the extreme. Management of these colleges need these restrictions to hide their shortcomings by exercising total control over the lives of these students and preventing them from voicing their opinions. Since several students join these colleges (and professional courses at large) at the insistence of their parents they lack the general motivation to focus on studies and since several faculty and staff in these colleges are qualified or interested only in moral policing like those described in the article the restrictions and rules are only a byproduct of lopsided priorities and lack of focus.
TN needs to understand that world has moved ahead and if they do continue imposing such 'Taliban' restrictions on students, sooner or later these students will find it difficult to handle interpersonal issues in social life. Its absolutely normal for a teenager to talk to opposite sex, make friendship or even fall in love. Its their life and if they don't face it they will be forever immature. Its unfortunate to see even in 21st century we have such sick mentalities in India.
Many stories still remain untold. I have personally known people from all the institutions mentioned in the article, who have had to put through this nonsense and much more. Four years of engineering 'thrust' on students is itself a curse in the first place, while such restrictions in the name of "disciplinary actions" only add fuel to the fire. Separate staircase for girls and boys is the height of it all! I see a comment that reads that women expect separate seating even in buses. That is no comparison. Anyone who can afford 15-20 bucks can board a bus...still, ONLY the seats are separate, NOT the stairs. A "co"-ed institution is the congregation of civilized and educated minds. What's the point in separate stairs when the ultimate purpose is not that in particular. For all the nonsense, the institutions do not turn out top class human beings - they all still fall under Anna University curriculum.
Why is it that people keep harping about being protectors of Indian culture, Indian morals or Indian values. Do they just see the Indian culture from the 15th or the 16th century? Do they not try to recollect the Indian culture from even earlier times? They forget that Indian culture has a rich tradition of inclusiveness. People before 15th century were more liberal than even today. Who are we as a person to judge another? Do we not make mistakes? Why do we feel that something is against the so-called 'Indian culture' say for example, pre-marital relationships?
I have noticed many comments which say that parents should teach their children moral values and the institutions should not regulate their wards. I agree with the second point but the first point is clearly ambiguous. What if the parent is a corrupt person? What moral values will he/she pass on to the children? I beseech the people to be more open-minded and truly become what our ancestors would be proud of.
Since when did the Taliban become in charge of Tamil Nadu educational institutions? Mullah Omar must be widening his circle taking in Christians like Jeppiaar and Hindus at Sri Sairaam College among others. And what's next? Stonings for talking to the opposite sex?
I am not going to write anything against or favor of this article,
just want to point out one thing, topics like boys and girls do not
talk each other, previous article "IIT-M may enforce more norms"
caught 100s of comments in both sides positive and negative because
they are chatpatti or college desi news??, people are just lampooning
the adminstrator authorites in favor of ownselves. but when we see the
articles based on "country economy, population, human trafficking, and
other social and political topics etc." we found only very few
comments or discussion, some where you see no comments?????
why......Is the people of our country are not interested in social
issues or they are using this well known webpage as fun, entertainment
or tympasss???
Being a sathyabama pass out i have personal experience with the effect of implementation of these rules.Even though such rules exist students have still managed to be in contact with the opposite sex while in college and they have struggled a lot to make this happen.The management's narrow spectrum of thinking is the main reason for the existence of these rules.For guys who help girls many times their id cards have been seized and some have even been honoured with semester >drops.What the mgmt. fails to understand is that many have been brought up in coed environment and that caging a beast will only make it wilder.
Hi i am one of the victim:( from panimalar eng college.
The bigger problem is that each time one of the two ruling parties
come to power, they help their party politicians start new engineering
colleges. Hence the plethora of engineering institutes in chennai
started by illiterate politicians, who naturally enforce their concept
of "morals". If you have stricter rules about who can start an
engineering college, and hire better professors, such things will not
happen. There is enormous mediocrity in engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu.
Most of the engineers from the institutes named above are not employable. Only the above average students of IIT, MIT and Anna University are worth hiring.
Quite often its the corrupt or the junk who insist on such control measures as they feel very insecure. This include fundamental religious organisations as well. An ex-vice chancellor who imposed such strict measures in a key uni and made some nasty comments about how the girls dress is under investigation by the DVAC now. And about the private engineering colleges, less said the better. The faculties are juvenile in their knowledge and highly insecure. The management, highly corrupt. So there is perfect setting for being what they are - control freaks, and ironically in the name of morality!
Oldest issue of decades,"who is superior girls or boys".Its due to
these orthodox views that in a country with 50% of its population as
youth,these issues arise.For progress and reaching the dream of
development in whole of the country,eradication of such issues is
essential.It is a transparent fact that today's world inclusion of
both men and women in every field is necessary for progress and
development.Whether its corporate world or administration or political
world or it comes to our houses.To achieve progress with escalating
growth it is essential to have that professional feeling among all.But
in the above mentioned article its being the reciprocal of it.
this is absolutely ridiculous and absurd. how is a youngster going to
evolve as a good human being without social skills. preventing them from
talking to each other , they restrict the flow of knowledge, information
and human values. ones educational life is what moulds him or her in
life and this kind of draconian stupidity should not be allowed.
This is a typical problem.whats wrong in talking with fellows of
opposite sex.By the time we are married how can we talk with our partner if are brought up in this kind of environment.
These colleges not only make useless for your life. But they just make you vexed. After finishing my B.E in panimalar i just realised i have waster 4 years of my engineering doing nothing. The college donot promote anything except rules. they dont even encourage research. culturals or any extra curricular activities. All they want from the students is to follow rules, eat sleep and obey their rules. And live life as their slaves !!!!!!!
I think TN parents are among the most control freak. They want to control their children's life at every stage. How else does one explain the proliferation of concentration camps in the name of engineering colleges in TN? It would really be a great service if all those repressive parents shift their base to gulf countries and let this country remain free.
I dont know when would ever our people see the fact that its liberal societies which create great minds and never oppressive control freak societies. There is no wonder these students when they come out lack interpersonal skills which are so important.If some students dont know how to handle freedom and end up in a mess (and again most often such "mess" is as per society's perceptions), its they who need counseling. And the irony is that in India, more so in TN, "morality" starts and ends with one's personal interaction with the opposite gender. In what other society can so called 'educationists" who swindle money preach morality?
Well, i am not at all surprised by all this measures. i am a student
of b.tech 1st year in christ university, bangalore. a guy, two girls and i had planned to skip the 5th hour of our college, and sit together and chat but we were caught by our respected dean while we were doing so. at first we assumed that we were being reprimanded because we had bunked the class, but we were shocked to learn that the dean had no problem in us bunking the class but he was thinking that we had some other intentions in our mind. especially on of the girls and i were humiliated a great extent. our parents were called. my parents had to come to bangalore all the way from kolkata for this reason, and we were actually forced to give in writings that we were roaming around as couples. i was specially told that i am not allowed to talk to any girl anywhere in or near the premises.
I think this article shows that India can never boast of a world-class education system. Professors and teachers should engage with the students, inculcating the spirit of creativity, teaching creatively, having a syllabus that proves to be an enjoyable challenge for the students making them to think and analyse and learn more. this is what should happen during the learning years, not policing - moral or otherwise.
How can they implement rules which are not written? Do they have any written rules signed by the concerned authority? These people don't know the spelling of discipline.
I just have to say one thing to all these institution. If you
want to make a responsible human being and citizen in the society the
first thing you need to do is to beleive in them, and let them have a
free thought process. And obviously its necessary at times to guide
them, but the guiding should be done by convincing them but not by
putting such stupid rules.:These rules have tremendous psychological
impacts on a student it makes them develop an attitude which forces
them to follow everything with out questioning and that is like making
a useless human computer which can just follow orders..
Im so glad Im in SRM coll!! Im better off here tho the food aint great!
I need Freedom not luxurious food which gets digested easily!!
I pity the situation... but its not only Chennai... but in may other Junior colleges and Engineering colleges in south India. I wonder how they call them selves Professors ... its pity they don't know basic science.
Not surprised at all. We live in the most hypocritical and male chauvinistic country of all. This gets displayed in myriad forms of which a couple of perhaps 'harmless' ones are being highlighted in the article above.
Friends who have studied in Chennai and whereabouts have also said similar things, and about supposed rules that are so ludicrous that it's difficult to believe they exist, more so in a metro...Hostel wardens have been known to be downright insulting...If people are so concerned about their 'cultural' integrity, I suggest a makeover of the Tamil film industry would be in keeping with that, what with all the vulgarism in item numbers( same goes for Bollywood)and most female roles just included as eye candy...that would have a better impact on society as a whole..
@Prabakaran - The relationship between parents and their wards who are on the cusp of adulthood is always a tug of war. Parents, who typically want conformity and normalcy, push in one direction, while young adults who want to savor life and explore their new-found independence like to push in the other direction. We can agree that both the extremes in this spectrum - drug-taking rebels at one end and domesticated parochial children at the other end - are unhealthy and a sensible boundary must be located in the middle. The people who criticize these colleges do not do so from an attitude that 'anything goes', but from a belief that preventing girls and boys from even talking to each other is not an acceptable middle and is too extreme, in addition to being unconstitutional and illiberal. The 'slippery slope' argument that once we let girls and boys talk to each other, soon they'll be in a romantic relationship which would lead inevitably to them eloping, is a wrong argument to make.
A Really sad state of affairs...
Seriously? is this the taliban or something ? I am amazed that such
stuff still happens in the 21st century. I remember during my unfortunate engineering degree days where we were segragated and although no formal rules were out , students were punished for talking to girls by giving low marks in internals or failing them in practical exams. The teachers themselves came from very orthodox backgrounds and tried to impose their mindsets on the students. For some of us going from better schools to these colleges was a reversal in life and left a lot of us traumatized.
This is what makes India from my POV a non creative country. Girls are bright too and because there are rules of such here, creativity and information flow hits a barrier. Collaboration is restrained and hence things that could be possible is made not possible because of such rules and hence because of the University/College. Parents support this because they have gone through such and heard about success only with such rules by their pals who come from the stone age."We feel we can correct them here. They are adolescents who need to be told what is wrong and we are just doing that." There is so much wrong about this phrase. First off, Its what they think is wrong and right and secondly what have they achieved themselves. Are they happy being a teacher in a college? I bet they had better aims. maybe this sort of mentality got them there and they blatantly enforce this onto the minds of the young who are too scared to even inquire. thanks to people like this, we will never develop.
The first article of UDHR says individuals should not be restricted and they are bestowed with complete freedom, equality, dignity and rights. What is the society going to achieve with so many restriction in the field of education, it must educate the individual and not restrict and trigger the youth with overwhelming energy to overcome the rule as restriction will always make individuals violate the rules only conviction will fetch the positive outcome of the rule. Where are we to bring the feel of brotherhood in this atmosphere? Age will never decide the phase of an individual, an individual might be 25 and his mental age and stability could be like that of an adolescent. It is always best to prepare the individuals to face the life than to restrict them and bringing them in a protected environment as at some point of the time in the life the individual must come out of the circle. Educate the students with moral and values which will make them live their life with healthy attitude.
hahahaha.. :D so true.. but this is funny.. doing these kinda things can make them feel evoked. They would go for trying out something, what that university were preventing them from.. this is so stupid. Come on, grow up. This is 2012. And, moreover, its not JAIL. Students of this time know what they are doing. Instead, do something to improve the quality of education by allowing them to do research and explore Engineering rather than implementing stupid rules like these. Not everyone is destined to go for IT in their life. THINK about it ! from a very much upset ex-engineering student, now doing M.Sc in Sweden. I really wish India to be like Europeans in research.
Is opposite sex a phobia ?? It is all that seems to be emerged from hypocrisy.It seems that people who are in favor of keeping youth in restrictions are the people who misused their independence in their youth.One spends 18 years at home and college before going to college.It is the duty of teachers at school and parents to imbibe moral values in the children.Professors and college authorities should not take the burden to do 'moral policing'. It is not at all the way towards the development of an all round society.More strictness makes students clever enough to find loopholes and use them. It would be better for authorities to evaluate themselves and improve academic standards of Institutions by encouraging out of the box thinking rather than learning by rote and vomit in the exams.
Based on my own personal experience in a college named in this report, i have seen that these rules and regulations are often a result of faculty insecurities. They have no professional work experience and are therefore not qualified to handle students / college romance etc. Also, it is important for the faculty to 'rule' over students as any leeway would expose their grossly inadequate 'subject knowledge'.
I studied in one of these institutions. What can I say? I was
young and naive then. Having been brought up from an early age to
be quiet and get along and not raise my voice in society, I kept
quiet and went through four years of this nonsense. By denying young adults the right to speak to members of the opposite sex, these colleges are enforcing draconian and unconstitutional policies. Just because it is their college, they do not get to make rules which go against the constitution. Their college, after all, is in India and operate with licences from the Indian government. I hope someone files a case against these colleges and get the courts to stop these intolerant medieval practices.
Or if that doesn't happen, I have no doubt that in a generation people will become much wiser and will simply boycott these colleges, thereby forcing them to change. I, for example, will never put my children in one of these colleges.
I agree with S. Yamuna and C.K. Jaidev. I am from a campus in North India with many people from South India. There are no such rules in the campus yet I have seen people, especially from South India, behaving decently. Unnecessarily putting such rules, especially in today's time and age when mixing is so common will create unnecessary rebellion in hearts of people. On the other hand, in the name of free-mixing, we are losing our culture and people are getting into pre-marital physical relationships. So, let the onus be on parents to impart moral guidance and let the culture be imbibed in childhood. Now, from the same campuses, people will be going for higher studies
in US. How then will they keep a vigil? There has to be an internal integrity which is how we conduct our-self when no one is watching.
I wonder "Are we still independent ?".6o years and this is what the students are made to learn. Instead of learning the subjects they have to be careful so that they don't break any moral ethics. It's absurd.
The college authority feels that restricting students freedom will do good to them,but instead they are hindering their prospects of growth.They are saying that they are preparing the students for the life ahead,but at later stage in their life do you think that they will be working only among their respective genders. Moral policing is what someone does when they don't have anything else to do. A guy is referred as an adult at the age of 18,he is allowed to select a government but not allowed to speak to a girl.How absurd is that? Parents there is a message for all of you that you may think that you are providing the right education for your ward but in time they will curse you for that. Education means overall growth and growth of the human mind not blocking their perspective.
I did my engineering in one of such Engineering colleges too. It was
the worst phase of my life from which I'm yet to come out. Those 4 years of my life had a huge impact in my attitude and my self confidence. All those ugly rules and stuffs were instigating the anger in me. I'm wondering if the college authorities are trying to convert the students into homos by separating boys and girls like this. Something has to be done to stop these kind of ugly rules and
regulations. The parents are also proud that their children are studying in such strict colleges. All they want is that their children should get placed while getting out of college. They do not care what kind of tortures their children are going through.
When I was in college, my professor insisted on "de-polarisation' ie, boys and girs should sit together in class room. I studied in two reputed coeducation colleages for six years in late 80s and early 90s. Both the colleges never had any restrictions such as one described in this article. We had a very healthy relationship between boys and girls. The atmosphere in the college helped us to reach a maturity level in such relationships. Even today, after 20 years, I still speak to my female friends who studied with me like I speak to my male friends. The restrictions such as the one mentioned in the article are all will promote only unhealthy relationships.
When rules are strict, followed or imposed people cry and bring the hell down. When there are no rules or it is liberal, and when 'something' happens, the parents stage protest, students takes to the road and even worse, the college license may be cancelled temporarily or permanently. What is the reason and who is responsible? Let the place for education be sacred and let the 'other' activities be carried out off campus. Don't imagine being in a movie and don't be the character. If someone acts like something in a movie they are paid hefty amounts. If students commit the same thing in real life, their parents pay the price. Hope these comments are taken in the right sense.
While the article makes the liberal in me cringe at the authorities in the college, another part of me blames the students. Most college students turn 18 by the time they start their higher education. Don't they even look or bother researching the college which they will be joining and spending four years of their lives in? Don't they have any decision making process? Or are they just pampered kids who just tell what their papa-mummy tell them to do? Because, if it is the latter - then they very well deserve to be in such colleges.
This situation is prevailing in most of the Engg. colleges in chennai. In the name of discipline the management brings in these rules. Whom is it really helping, only the management in terms of revenue (fine imposed). Also many parents feel safe if their children study in these type of environment and ready to pay any amount of capitation to secure a seat.
Do the parents think about the real world to which their children will be exposed after the college life ? Students getting placed in any company, do the parents think its all individual work. How can students growing up in these environment will be able to work in team where you interact with opposite sex ? These colleges, does it participate in overall bringing up of a student, or just marks ? or money making ?
Hope the parents are aware of the background of the people who run these colleges....boasting themselves as guardian of discipline...
Ridiculous! We need to change our attitude
Colleges must be strict about smoking/drinking/drugs/ragging in college/hostel premises. But nothing will happen just if boys and girls talk to each other. Having supervisors in every floor or threatening to reduce internal marks is unethical. Too many restrictions will stifle free thinking and students will feel like their college days are like being in a jail. Once these very students pass out and start working they have to work with their colleagues of the opposite gender. If they don't learn such social skills at school/college, they will lag behind their peers.
The lesson to be learned here is that control and care are two distinct things, and that low levels of care will lead to ill effects with more certainty than high levels of control. Researchers generally agree that a balance must be struck between control and care. Ideally, parents/teachers should deal with their children/students with a high level of care and a low level of control.
it's strange that these kind of rules are brought in colleges of tamil nadu.No where else these kind of crazy rules exist
I am shocked and saddened that Engineering education in Madras has managed to transplant Saudi style segregation in the city instead of focusing on academic excellence (which tellingly is on the decline). Such tight moral policing and segregation only serves to harden misconceptions about the opposite sex amongst students. As a parent of two daughters (one of whom is at University) I would instead shift the onus onto parents to imbue values in their kids and let universities and colleges be place of free intellectual interaction. Moves by these engineering colleges (many of them just teaching shops) and of late by IIT-M are at best retrograde and do not serve any meaningful purpose. Somehow, I get the impression that these colleges seem to be imparting some diluted form of literacy rather than wholesome education. There will be a huge price to pay when educational institutions stray away from their primary focus ie. to provide education.
Horrible !! reminds me of 1984 by George Orwell. The sick people who have no lives of their own try to control the lives of others. These guys and girls will never be comfortable in talking to the other sex in their life. Disgusting state of affairs
I am shocked and saddened that Engineering education in Madras has managed to transplant Saudi style segregation in the city instead of focusing on academic excellence (which tellingly is on the decline). Such tight moral policing and segregation only serves to harden misconceptions about the opposite sex amongst students. As a parent of two daughters (one of whom is at University) I would instead shift the onus onto parents to imbue values in their kids and let universities and colleges be place of free intellectual interaction. Moves by these engineering colleges (many of them just teaching shops) and of late by IIT-M are at best retrograde and do not serve any meaningful purpose. Somehow, I get the impression that these colleges seem to be imparting some diluted form of literacy rather than wholesome education. There will be a huge price to pay when educational institutions stray away from their primary focus ie. to provide education.
Well a simple example to state the difference in the standard and mode of education between indian and the foreign countries. First improve the standard o education an then go for improving the habits o students. Being strict doesn mean student is well trained, it means he s scared to death of followin what he wants to do. M not sayin put a guy n a girl in a room together, but alleas respect their emotions. Just by talkin to the person of opposite sex noone gets into an "intimate relationship". Just because the profs and lects and principals re from a way older generation than we are, doesn mean they can impose their way o livin on us!! simple as that
These kind of rules can prevent to a certain extent but we have to see the root cause of these kind of act or behaviour. where did they learn from? ultimately it is from cinemas where a student will imitate as a actor or actress, they take reel as real. unknowingly we are also responsible for the behaviour....
And what happens after college? Do they expect corporate offices to have separate staircases and separate areas for men and women!?!
As a student of St.Joseph's college, a Jeppiar institute, i totally disagree the way you portray boy-girl relationship in our college. It is just a drama, concocted by the college management to impress the parents of girls that your ward is safe within our institute. We just be very casual in the classrooms and outside campus. Even in government colleges there are professors who do not entertain boy-girl relationship. Call phones are banned but we do have a lot of coin booth and telephones in each department for the parents to contact their ward. About the hostel, we were coming out twice in a week even without a fax from our parents. We had everything a 21st century , a ultra modern college had in normal. But i accept, life is difficult for the first two months to get ensconced to the situation. After that, your life is happy. My professors never stigmatized me for speaking to a girl.>Even in city bus womens expect a separate seating. Stop pointing ur fingers on Jeppiar institutes.
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