Police turn peacemakers

THE MEN in uniform were hitherto known only for creating terror on the campus. Students viewed them as ``peace breakers'' more than law keepers, what with the highhandedness attached to each and every move of theirs.

But, there is a palpable change in their approach now. The ``peace breakers'' seem to have turned ``peace makers''. Or that is what the police on the Osmania University campus is trying to project themselves as. To contain the growing physical clashes, resulting from ideological differences between student organisations, the Osmania University police adopted a novel method.

Instead of dragging them to the police station, the police decided to convene a meeting of all student organisations on the campus to iron out their differences and promote their ideology.

Organised at the behest of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) - East Zone, Mr. C.V. Anand, the meeting turned out to be quite fruitful, as representatives of all student organisations chose to condemn violence and vowed to work for creating a peaceful atmosphere on the campus.

The campus has, in the recent past, witnessed escalation of tension among students, with physical clashes on the rise. Several reasons like shifting of loyalties by several students to the newly-formed Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Sangham (TRSVS) and forceful methods allegedly adopted by organisations to rope in new students into their wings contributed to the growing tension.

Mr. Anand, who is an alumnus of Arts College, seems to have jelled well with students of his campus, as he drilled into their minds about the hard life outside the university and the need to utilise the time for the best. ``I have personally experienced how tensions rise in hostels whenever there is some problem between student groups. It affects majority of students, who are more worried about academics than other things,'' he says.

``Moreover, with the controversy over the semester system and the English medium issues yet to be subsided, I thought the best way to maintain peace is to take all warring student organisations into confidence,'' the DCP says.

As several students agreed, it was a move that paid off well as a noticeable change is seen among student organisations with regard to their functioning.

Criticism against BIE

After a lull, the issue of ``favouritism'' allegedly shown to ``corporate'' colleges is back. This time, it's the smaller and Government junior colleges which are spewing venom against the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) for its alleged ``favouritism'' to some corporate colleges in sanctioning additional sections against rules.

A meeting organised recently by the BIE, wherein the Higher Education Minister, Mr. K. Ramachandra Rao, the Education Secretary, Mr. G. Sudhir, the BIE Secretary, Mr. B. Kripanandam, and representatives of junior college management associations participated to thrash out the controversial issue pending since 1998-99, turned out to be unfruitful.

The Government issued a G.O. No. 144 in August 2000, making it clear that no junior college would have more than 500 students so that students' distribution would be equal to all colleges for their survival. However, a few ``corporate'' colleges were benefited in the academic year 1998-99, as their excess admissions and additional sections were allowed in the interests of students. And most of these additional sections continue even now.

Smaller junior colleges and Government junior colleges demanded the BIE to implement the G.O. in toto, as the ``indiscriminate'' admission of students was turning them into sick units.

According to officials, there are 1,150 junior colleges in the State. Of them, 66 had admitted students beyond the ceiling of 500 students. Of these, 46 colleges are branches of ``corporate'' colleges.

Mr. Enoch Dayanand, general secretary of the Government Junior Lecturers' Association, says that either the Government implement the G.O. fully or go for centralised admissions, so that all colleges benefit.

Affected junior colleges are annoyed over the BIE for regularising excess admissions which could have easily been avoided. Now, they say the matter would be settled in court.

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Section  : Southern States
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