Kerala: Self financing colleges told to form parent-teachers associations

Thiruvananthapuram: The Higher education department has issued an order asking all self-financing colleges in the state to form parent- teachers associations (PTAs) immediately following complaints of harassment of students. As per the directive, PTAs should have a president, a vice-president and a secretary apart from eight members in the managing committee. The president of the PTA should be the principal of the college, while parents should fill the secretary's and vice-president's posts.

The four-member vice-chancellors' committee, formed to study the issues in self-financing colleges, headed by MG University VC Babu Sebastian was earlier asked to look into the functioning of PTAs in colleges and the lack of student unions in colleges. The committee was constituted on the basis of the recommendations of the vice-chancellors meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Mr Sebastian told DC that the committee has already started collecting the opinions of teachers, students, parents and educational experts on measures to curb harassment of students.