Ombudsman to check on-campus discrimination

Concerned over the spate of recent incidents of alleged discrimination against students from the Northeast,Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to formulate regulations to check such discrimination. An ombudsman will be established soon with powers to hear complaints regarding discrimination in educational institutions,the HRD ministry said on Wednesday.

Sibal had expressed his concern over the recent incidents of alleged discrimination and profiling of students from the Northeast pursuing their studies in educational institutions in the NCR. Sibal exhorted educational institutions to rise to the occasion to provide an inclusive and harmonious platform for students from across the country to come together and pursue studies.

Sibal had last month written to UGC asking them to formulate regulations to prevent discrimination in higher educational institutions. The UGC,which had taken up the issue at a commission meeting late last month,is also learnt to have finalised the regulation. These regulations now require that every institution to establish an Ombudsman who would have the power to hear complaints of discrimination in institutions.