GU students to get ‘single window’ redressal cell
Hundreds
of students face similar problems and new vice chancellor feels small steps
could help all of them simultaneously; to be headed by a dean, the cell will
have senior university officials as members.
Yogesh
Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, September 18, 2012 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/201209182012091802155284273548639/GU-students-to-get-%E2%80%98single-window%E2%80%99redressal-cell.html)
Posted On Tuesday, September 18, 2012 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/201209182012091802155284273548639/GU-students-to-get-%E2%80%98single-window%E2%80%99redressal-cell.html)
Gujarat University is establishing a
student grievances redressal cell to address the problems of the community
which often has to agitate to get itself heard by officials even on genuine
issues. Abrainchild of new Vice Chancellor Adesh Pal, the cell will be set up
within a month and will work as a ‘single window’ system for the students who
until now had to run from one office to the other for simple solutions to their
simple problems. And often in the absence of proper response had to resort
“Many good universities and institutes in the country have a cell or unit to
deal with the problems of the students. Somehow, our university does not have
one. I have been speaking to officials and students ever since I came here last
month. I realised many students face similar problems and a small step in
resolving them could benefit hundreds or even thousands of them,” Dr Pal told
Mirror.
The University Act already has provision for this kind of an office to redress students’ issues. But no official ever did anything to set it up. According to sources, a university can appoint a dean of students affairs who could head the cell. According to them, apart from the dean, the cell will have senior officials who have spent some years in dealing with various functions like, examination, teaching, general administration, etc, of the university. The cell will look into the complaints by parents as well as students. It will analyse the nature of problems being reported and based on the outcome will suggest measures so that the problems could be minimised.
Registrar Arvind Bhandari believes that students need not come to university office for many of their problems as they could be addressed at college level. The cell will also analyse trends, identify potential problem areas and suggest ways in which they could be pre-empted.
“It is a win-win for the students and the officials. The exercise will reduce students’ issues and this, in turn, will lessen the work load on university officials in due course,” Bhandari said.
Along with this cell, the university is also planning to revamp the various units that interact with public. Currently, the cell that deals with RTI queries distributes the incoming applications to the department concerned and often the queries go unanswered within stipulated time. As the registrar is the appellate authority, he becomes answerable, leading to problems for him. The strengthening of the legal and RTI cell will reduce the burden on the registrar, sources said.
The University Act already has provision for this kind of an office to redress students’ issues. But no official ever did anything to set it up. According to sources, a university can appoint a dean of students affairs who could head the cell. According to them, apart from the dean, the cell will have senior officials who have spent some years in dealing with various functions like, examination, teaching, general administration, etc, of the university. The cell will look into the complaints by parents as well as students. It will analyse the nature of problems being reported and based on the outcome will suggest measures so that the problems could be minimised.
Registrar Arvind Bhandari believes that students need not come to university office for many of their problems as they could be addressed at college level. The cell will also analyse trends, identify potential problem areas and suggest ways in which they could be pre-empted.
“It is a win-win for the students and the officials. The exercise will reduce students’ issues and this, in turn, will lessen the work load on university officials in due course,” Bhandari said.
Along with this cell, the university is also planning to revamp the various units that interact with public. Currently, the cell that deals with RTI queries distributes the incoming applications to the department concerned and often the queries go unanswered within stipulated time. As the registrar is the appellate authority, he becomes answerable, leading to problems for him. The strengthening of the legal and RTI cell will reduce the burden on the registrar, sources said.
