Times View

BENGALURU: The PU education department has set an overarching goal in the name of safety. It has asked girls to inform the college where, when and with whom they are interacting, when they leave home and reach college, when they leave the campus and return home.The measure — ostensibly in response to the increasing cases of sexual violence against girls and young women — is among the 34-point guidelines issued by the education department for the safety and security of girl students.Drafted by the Union of PU College Principals , the guidelines were launched by the assistant director, PU education department, Bangalore South, on Tuesday, and have been sent to 325 government and private colleges.The guidelines ban cellphones on campus, but want girls to keep their colleges in the loop over their whereabouts. The college must monitor girls' activities - whom they meet, when and where - with parents' permission. Security is the overriding concern, but the guidelines appear to curb students' freedom."If students bunk classes, it must be brought to the notice of parents. Some girls take coffee breaks with boys. This is fine once or twice, but certainly not when it's regular. If classes get over at 4pm, then students must reach home in an hour. In some cases, students hang around all kinds of places, while we believe they've gone home, and parents think their wards are still attending special classes. Where they go and with whom should be known to us. All we're asking students to do is go home in time," said KR Manjunath , secretary, PU College Principals' Association ."Students who go off the track end up instigating others to take their path," he added.He, however, admitted the colleges will have to discuss the nitty-gritty of implementation of some guidelines with their students and parents.PU education department joint director Ravindra H Ritti denies the guidelines have anything to do with moral policing. "We're seeing so many cases of sexual abuse of girls. We must ensure they're protected on campus. We'll keep watch on the students. If a student doesn't turn up at college, parents must know about it. At present, the guidelines have been sent to South Bengaluru colleges. Deputy directors of other parts of Bengaluru have to come up with their guidelines based on this," Ritti said.The guidelines say colleges must have a women's committee, with at least one girl student as member, to address issues faced by the girls.Girls' safety is, indeed, a serious issue. That various stakeholders including the government and its associated bodies are drawing up measures to make the environment outside the home safer for our women is laudable. But the proposals being drafted by the PU Board, in association with the Union of PU College Principals, seem like a knee-jerk reaction. Some of the provisions — monitoring who the girl comes to college with — seem impossible to track on a regular basis and seem to serve little purpose. Most of the items seem to infantilize the girls; as if society at large, including parents, teachers and college administrators, have lost complete faith in the girlstudent. Also, implementing the guidelines in full will require huge investment in infrastructure: more teachers, technology, guards, minders etc. It's unclear who will pay for this. The report, thus, has all the hallmarks of yet another well-intentioned effort which will die a quiet, dull burial for its inherent inability to be properly implemented.