Campuses can’t host right-wing meetings; lecturers and principals better stick to teaching what is prescribed by the government or face action, says SaitAlarmed by saffron creeping into campuses across the state, primary and secondary education minister Tanveer Sait has decided to draw up guidelines for teachers and principals.“I have been seeing many such (right-wing) groups using school and PU college buildings for their events and discussions. Even degree colleges are used for the same purpose. These things should stop inside an educational institution,” Sait said.He said that he will implement a model code for teachers as they should only be “teaching children what is required and prescribed by the state government”. He added that neither principals nor lecturers will be allowed to indulge in “any other kind of activity”.The Assembly elections maybe some months away but the government doesn’t want to hand over the advantage to its staunch rival, the BJP.That was evident when Sait said NSUI (National Students Union of India, which is affiliated to Congress — Sait’s party) was better than any other organization. “When you have NSUI, what is the need for any other association?” He was clearly hinting at the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the student wing of the BJP.“I want the teaching community to take more responsibility in the system rather than involve themselves with other organisations. We are trying to start programmes in schools which the schools and colleges should mandatorily conduct without fail. If not, the schools will be de-notified or withdrawn from their recognition,” he said. The immediate provocation for Sait’s comments seems to be Congress party in-charge in Karnataka KC Venugopal’s instructions. A few days back, Venugopal had directed Youth Congress office bearers to prepare a list of college lecturers and professors who are affiliated to right-wing outfits so that the ABVP could be controlled on campuses.“We are drafting a policy to declare schools and colleges as sensitive zones. If their agenda is to take hold of the educational institutions, then it is definitely not permissible. Schools and colleges are for teaching purposes alone,” he said.When asked if teachers and principals were being denied their basic right of choosing their party, Sait said that he was not against their personal affinity to any such organisation. “But nothing of that sort or any event should be held within the school premises or college buildings,” he said.He was referring to a spate of complaints of right-wing outfits using school buildings to hold their meetings. (Coastal Karnataka often sees flare-ups on campus — students wear saffron to protest burqas in the classroom etc. — but the rest of the state is generally very peaceful and welcoming of all religions.)As a first step towards “controlling” the ABVP, Sait said he had decided to strengthen the school development and monitoring committees (SDMCs). “The SDMC community must be our foot soldiers. By giving powers to SDMC members and through measures like bio-metric attendance, we will stop these right-wing activities within education institutions. Though we have complaints about several teachers, we want to observe them and initiate action against them at a later stage,” Sait revealed.The ABVP, however, condemned the minister’s move and said that the organization only helps students fight injustice. “We never promote any revengeful act. It could be hike in exam or college fees, bus pass or admissions ­­— our idea is to prepare students to take part in democracy in their student life itself so that when they come out they are mature enough to decide on their own. The government is only biased in taking such a decision,” said Allama Prabhu, ABVP state president.Looks like the assembly elections in 2018 will be as interesting as the general elections of 2014.