Education

SC, ST, OBC, and Women Must Serve As Chief Or Members Of Student Grievance Redressal Panels: UGC

Published

1 year ago

April 18, 2023

On April 11, it was announced that the new UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023, which will replace the 2019 regulations, had been updated to reflect the new National Education Policy.

New Delhi:- The University Grants Commission has mandated that members of student grievance redressal committees must be women and members of the Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes, Other Backward Classes.

The commission asked all higher education institutions on Thursday to comply with the new norms, which seek to provide opportunities for students already enrolled in any institution, as well as those seeking admission to such institutions, to redress their grievances.

According to the revised guidelines, at least one member or the chairperson of the student grievances redressal committee must be a woman, and at least one member or the chairperson must be from the SC, ST, or OBC category.

The “Student’s Grievance Regulations, 2023” offer a further forum for the resolution of caste-based discrimination complaints. UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar stated that these rules “do not supersede other rules or guidelines made or issued from time to time by the UGC to ensure that no student is subjected to discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion, language, ethnicity, gender, or disabilities.

Similar to the 2019 regulations, the UGC has retained student redressal committees to hear complaints of alleged discrimination against students who fall under the SC, ST, OBC, minority, person with a disability, or female categories.

The appointment of an ombudsperson to address complaints from students at universities and colleges/institutions affiliated with universities has also been preserved in the new guidelines. An ex-district judge or a retired vice chancellor with 10 years of experience may serve as the ombudsperson.