A woman can’t be students’ union president in this govt college

After Banaras Hindu University, now women students of Government Degree College Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir are up in arms against gender discrimination and unreasonable restrictions imposed on them. In a state that has a woman chief minister, the college administration doesn’t allow women students to contest for the post of president in the students’ body elections.

Ironically, the college—that boasts of co-education—has separate class representatives for male and female students. The college has a total number of 1800 students including 1000 male and 800 female students. During the polls for the post of vice president and general secretary, women class representatives can only vote for women candidates.

On Thursday, when the polls were held and executive body of the students’ union constituted, several agitated students, led by male and female class representatives, held a demonstration on the college premises. They chanted slogans against the college administration and principal for allegedly berating the women students. However, they dispersed soon after the college administration threatened them with police action.

On the condition of anonymity, a woman class representative complained: “One fails to understand why a woman can’t become president of the students’ union in this college. The rules for student union polls are regressive and don’t promote democratic values. This college is the premier educational institution in the entire district. Such discriminatory rules don’t augur well for the institutions of higher learning and need to be changed. The sooner, the better.”

Vice-principal of the college, Mussaraf Hussain Shah, said: “The academic council of the college which is headed by the principal took the decision that only a male student would be the president of college students’ body.”

“For women, we have a women empowerment cell,” he added, but could not detail the functions of the cell and rationale behind the rules which don’t allow a woman candidate to contest for the post of president.

Despite repeated attempts, principal of the college Mushtaq Ahmed Lone could not be reached for his comments.

According to Census 2011, Poonch has a sex ratio of 893 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 66.74 per cent. It had a sex ratio of 919 females to 1000 males during 2001 Census.

The college website highlights following aims and objectives under its mission section:

· To prepare the students to become dedicated, disciplined well educated human resource through qualitative education and meaningful orientation in all its curricular and co-curricular activities.

· To instil and promote a sense of creative thinking, scientific temperament and value based attitude through quality learning, conceptual discussions and logical reasoning.

· To make the students conscious of their national and social responsibilities by inculcating among them the spirit of nationalism, secularism, communal harmony community service, dignified labour, honesty and contentment.

· To encourage and inspire the youth to become a disciplined citizen a dignified Indian, an honest bread earner.

In Jammu and Kashmir, women remain under-represented in government and private sector. There is a long-standing demand for better representation of women in political parties as well. During 2014 state Assembly elections, only two women candidates could make it to the 87-member state Assembly.