Colleges to ape schools for safety

In the backdrop of the Chetna college stabbing, city colleges have decided that they will now take care of their students they way schools do.

In a meeting of principals on Saturday at RD National College in Bandra, colleges observed that a teaching curriculum alone is insufficient; extracurricular steps are a must.

They put down recommendations, which have been communicated to the state government as well as the Mumbai University. In the letter, they asked for these steps to be made mandatory and be a part of a comprehensive policy for the youth, so that all colleges implement them.

Dinesh Panjawani, principal of RD National College and secretary of the Union of College Principals Association, said, “All colleges need to start parent-teacher meetings on regular basis; the concept of class teachers is also important; regular periods for sports, yoga and meditation are needed to channelise student’ energy in right direction.”

In the letter, colleges also requested that the government appoint full-time sports directors and counsellors in all colleges and fund gender-sensitisation activities.

Panjawani said: “Many colleges conduct parent-teacher meetings but as they are not compulsory, parents don’t pay heed to them. This creates a communication gap so their’ involvement should be made mandatory.”

While students DNA spoke to did not welcome the suggestions, stating such ‘Hitler’ rules will not work as they are grown up, parents feel otherwise. “Youth left to their own devices often get involved in road accidents, drugs and crime. I’m sure,coordination and direct communication between teachers and parents can help avert such cases,” Panjawani said.