The recent student protest in Sairam Engineering College against a dress code and restrictions on student interaction is not new. For many years now, students from self-financing engineering colleges have been complaining about the lack of freedom to interact with classmates of the other gender. Often, the girl students bear the brunt.
Such protests lose steam as students worry about their academic future over restrictions. Time and again students have protested the restrictions, without success.
On Monday, following complaints from the students, a five-member team from Anna University visited the college and counselled the students. “Since the students were taking their model exams almost all students were present. We asked them if there was any problem with the college’s academic performance. The students told us that the only complaint was about the strict discipline enforced by the institution,” said A. Elayaperumal, director of Students Affairs, Anna University, the affiliating body.
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“We are not concerned with the issue of discipline as colleges are allowed to frame their own rules. We restrict ourselves to academic performance,” he explained.
Anna University itself has very few rules on its campus. “We expect students to be presentable and switch off their mobiles during class”, Registrar S. Ganesan said.