Institutions Should Have Zero Tolerance For Any Kind Of Discrimination: Education Minister At IIT Council Meeting

Education Minister Stresses Need for Zero Tolerance Policy Against Discrimination in Educational Institutions.

Bhubaneswar: The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, emphasized the need for the complete elimination of social discrimination from educational institution campuses. During the 55th IIT Council meeting held on Tuesday, chaired by him, the Union Education Minister highlighted the importance of encouraging students at the Indian Institute of Technology to aim towards becoming job creators rather than job seekers, as reported by PTI.

"IITs should provide all support system for students and should have zero tolerance for all kinds of discrimination. Students in IITs should be face of new India with no discrimination and ready to be global citizens," Dharmendra Pradhan said at the meeting in Bhubaneswar.

"We are concerned. No discrimination, not just in IITs, but in all educational institutions, should take place. It's a social challenge and this has been discussed today. I would humbly say that it's the responsibility of the faculty, deans and directors to address these challenges," Pradhan added.

"It is the responsibility of the authorities and the students to ensure that there is no discrimination on campuses," he told reporters after the meeting.

Pradhan also brought attention to the alarming statistic of 34 student suicides at various IITs over the last five years. He urged the directors to take a proactive approach towards providing comprehensive support to students and developing a robust mechanism to ensure "zero tolerance" towards discrimination on the campuses.

The council members discussed the necessary measures to ensure the mental health and wellness of students. The council emphasized the need for a robust grievance redressal system, increased availability of psychological counselling, and reducing pressure on students.

The Director of IIT-Gandhinagar, Rajat Moona, presented a presentation during the meeting, which covered the possible societal, psychological, and other health issues leading to depression among students. Additionally, the council also discussed the reasons behind student dropouts.

The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, emphasized the importance of IITs serving as a primary driver for public welfare and becoming a catalyst for the multi-fold development of the country. He proposed the idea of having an annual R&D fair on fixed dates that would be open to students from across the country.

The council also discussed strategies to fill vacancies at the earliest under the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019.

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