Student's Grievances
Introduction:
The University believes that students should be given an opportunity to air their grievances in a manner that is formal and structured. While we have a mentorship program in place that can address some of the issues and concerns faced by the students, there could be a larger concern that needs to be addressed at the University level.
The University in its handling of students’ grievances is committed to the fair, transparent and equal treatment of all individuals regardless of gender, age, disability, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, socio-economic group, marital status, and religious or political beliefs.
The University is also committed to upholding the ethical standards in dealing with grievances.
Towards the above, the University has constituted a Students Grievance Redressal Committee (‘Committee’) that shall be a mechanism to address and resolve grievances that any student may hold vis a vis various aspects of the functioning of the University.
Composition of Grievance Redressal Committee:
- The Students Grievance Redressal Committee shall be constituted with the following members:
- Registrar – Chairperson
- Associate Dean of Students – Secretary
- Dean, Academics – Member
- Controller Evaluation & Examination – Member
- Counselor – Member
- Respective HODs/ Asst HoDs
- Special Invitee (either the student concerned or any other person that the committee is of the opinion can be of assistance in resolution of the grievance in question)
Nature of Grievance:
- The Committee shall entertain and adjudicate grievance(s) of students which pertain to the following issues, or any of them or a combination of them:
- Issues between student(s) and teacher(s) or with co-students or any employee of the University will be dealt as per the Academic Policy of the University
- Perceived discrimination being faced by student(s), either based on race, community, religion, financial status, gender and/or intellectual capability.
- Harassment that may be faced by any student, from any employee of the University, or from another co-student, either physical or mental, based on gender, sexual orientation and/or sexuality.
Redressal Process:
- The grievances of the student has to be transcribed in written form and should be addressed to the concerned faculty/mentor/HOD. This representation should be so sent immediately upon the event against which redressal is being sought arising and/or coming to the notice of the concerned student. In any event, the representation has to be sent no later than one month after the event has arisen and/or has come to the notice of the student concerned.
- The concerned faculty/mentor/HOD, upon receipt of the representation, shall endeavour to resolve the same within a period of two weeks of receipt, or within such shorter time as the exigencies and urgency of the situation may demand.
- Should the successful resolution as contemplated above not be possible, the representation shall be forwarded to the Committee by the concerned faculty/mentor/HOD, with an endorsement therein, containing the remarks of the concerned faculty/mentor/HOD, including what steps had been taken towards resolution of the issue.
- Only in exceptional circumstances, involving issue(s) of immediate urgency and/or importance, and after taking leave of the Committee, a student may address a representation directly to the Secretary of the Committee.
Function of the Student Grievance Redressal Committee:
- Upon receiving a representation as aforesaid, the Secretary of the Committee shall immediately convene a meeting of the Committee to deliberate upon and address the representation.
- During its deliberations, the Committee shall act as an independent enquiry body and it shall be the duty of the Committee to study all aspects of the grievance to ensure fairness and justice, by examining all facts and materials available to the Committee. During the deliberations, the Committee may ask the concerned student and/or University Employee to address it on the issue(s) contained in the representation. While so addressing, the concerned student/employee may also submit written showcause/reply but, in any event, there shall be no right of the concerned student/employee to be represented by any other person before the Committee.
- During the course of this deliberation, the Committee shall have access to all files, confidential or otherwise, relevant to the grievance raised and shall further be entitled to ask the student and/or the employee to submit any further material that may be necessary or relevant for examination of the grievance.
- The Committee shall thereafter prepare a Report of the findings within a period not exceeding two weeks from the date when the Committee had first convened to take up the representation. The said Report is to contain the findings of the Committee and also the recommendations of the Committee.
- The aforesaid Report shall be submitted to the Vice Chancellor of the University. The Vice Chancellor shall take the final decision on the issue and shall, normally, implement the recommendations of the Committee contained in the Report, unless there are very strong reasons not to do so and the Vice Chancellor ascribes these reasons on the Report itself.
- Upon receiving a representation as aforesaid, the Secretary of the Committee shall immediately convene a meeting of the Committee to deliberate upon and address the representation.
- During its deliberations, the Committee shall act as an independent enquiry body and it shall be the duty of the Committee to study all aspects of the grievance to ensure fairness and justice, by examining all facts and materials available to the Committee. During the deliberations, the Committee may ask the concerned student and/or University Employee to address it on the issue(s) contained in the representation. While so addressing, the concerned student/employee may also submit written showcause/reply but, in any event, there shall be no right of the concerned student/employee to be represented by any other person before the Committee.
- During the course of this deliberation, the Committee shall have access to all files, confidential or otherwise, relevant to the grievance raised and shall further be entitled to ask the student and/or the employee to submit any further material that may be necessary or relevant for examination of the grievance.
- The Committee shall thereafter prepare a Report of the findings within a period not exceeding two weeks from the date when the Committee had first convened to take up the representation. The said Report is to contain the findings of the Committee and also the recommendations of the Committee.
- The aforesaid Report shall be submitted to the Vice Chancellor of the University. The Vice Chancellor shall take the final decision on the issue and shall, normally, implement the recommendations of the Committee contained in the Report, unless there are very strong reasons not to do so and the Vice Chancellor ascribes these reasons on the Report itself.
