UGC: SC, ST, OBC,women must lead students' grievance redressal panels

The University Grants Commission has made it mandatory to appoint representatives from the scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and women either as chairperson or members of students grievance redressal committees.

The UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023—which will replace the 2019 guidelines—were notified on April 11 and have been aligned to the new National Education Policy.

The commission on Thursday asked all higher education institutions to comply with the new norms that seek to provide opportunities for the redressal of grievances of students already enrolled in any institution, as well as those seeking admission to such institutions.

According to the revised guidelines, at least one member of the students' grievance redressal committee or its chairperson shall be a woman and at least one member or the chairperson shall be from the SC, ST or OBC category.

"Students' Grievance Regulations, 2023, provide an additional forum for redressal of complaints against caste-based discrimination. These regulations do not replace other regulations/guidelines made/issued by the UGC from time to time to ensure that no student is discriminated against on the basis of caste, creed, religion, language, ethnicity, gender or disabilities," said UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar.

Like the 2019 regulations, the UGC has retained student redressal committees that will investigate the complaints of alleged discrimination against students belonging to the SC, ST, and OBC minorities, persons with disabilities, and women.

The new guidelines have also retained the provision to appoint an ombudsperson for the redressal of students' grievances at universities and at colleges and institutions affiliated with any university. The ombudsperson shall be a retired vice-chancellor, a retired professor with 10 years of experience, or a former district judge.