NIT Kurukshetra students demand elected council, quick re-exams, counselling for teachers

NIT Kurukshetra Protests: The original plan was to have a post-dinner candlelight march. But as students gathered near National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra’s administration building and moved to the main gate, they talked. Before long, the march turned into a full-blown protest that continued till about 4 am the next day.

The immediate trigger was yet another student suicide on campus but both anger and frustration run deep. A key demand of the protesters is an elected student body, not a toothless ‘council’ selected by the administration on the basis of academic performance. “There is no power given to the student council. It is just on paper,” said a second-year BTech student who participated in the protest.

The death of the BTech student of AI and data science on the evening of April 16 was NIT Kurukshetra’s fourth such tragedy this year. The engineering college declared “preparatory leave” from the next day and today, asked students to vacate their hostels by April 19. Practical exams were moved online

The death is being investigated and it’s not yet clear what triggered that extreme act but the student protests have started a conversation covering a range of issues – absence of a representation in decision-making, speedy re-exams, the 75% attendance rule.

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NIT Kurukshetra: CGPA and student councils

The students demand a council formed through “free and fair elections”.

“Currently students are selected based on their CGPA by the administration [and the council] has no power. We demand fair elections of the council which has powers to represent the student voices in the administration,” said the student on campus.

And students do have problems. Several said two deaths were allegedly due to losses incurred during gambling. “There is a rampant rise of students addicted to gambling on campus,” said another second year BTech student.

NIT Students: Counselling for professors

Students have raised multiple demands, including reducing academic pressure and improving faculty-student engagement. They have also called for counseling of professors so that they address student concerns more sensitively. During the protest, the officiating director, Bhramjit, also the registrar of NIT Kurukshetra, agreed to the students’ demands, though implementation is still awaited, said a student.

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Students demand that the two mid-semester systems be combined into one. “The current two mid-semester exams system is too much. We demand that these must be combined into one,” said another second year BTech student.

Re-exam, result delays

Re-tests for those who don’t clear certain papers are held with exams for the next batch in the next year – a source of shame for students and also cause of stress. “Students feel ashamed giving exams with juniors,” said a third-year BTech student, pointing to the emotional impact of delayed academic progression.

Students demand that re-examinations be held in the next semester itself and not the next year and results declared immediately. According to students, each branch has sub-sections assigned to professors for counseling support, but concerns remain about effectiveness and accessibility.

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Students also demanded that the minimum attendance rule – NIT Kurukshetra requires students to have at least 75% attendance to be allowed to sit for exams – be relaxed.

The NIT has seen much turmoil over the recent months. In early April, the ministry of education withdrew the “administration and financial powers” of NIT Kurukshetra's director BV Ramanna Reddy. A three-member panel committee was also formulated to review the affairs of the institute.