College authorities at Trivandrum Medical College have lifted a ban on male and females sitting together in classrooms, after protests from students belonging to the college. Reports suggest that college Principal Dr. Thomas Mathew constituted a committee consisting of faculty members to probe the incidents, after being directed to do so by Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja Teacher, and convened a meeting of student representatives and faculty members.
College Principal Dr. Thomas Mathew gathered a committee of faculty members to probe the incidents and convened the meeting of student representatives and faculty members. The principal clarified that there would be “no restriction for medicos in the campus and they were free to sit in the classroom without gender segregation”.
After attending a seminar on gender sensitization, the students of Trivandrum Medical College began mixing together on campus. But a female faculty member objected and raised the issue of indiscipline in a faculty meeting. After students took to social media to express their rage over the matter, college authorities threatened action against them.
Speaking to India Today, a student representative said, “We started sitting together in the classroom after the seminar. Initially, there was no problem and many faculty members appreciated it as a welcoming move. But one faculty member objected and asked girls not to sit with boys. When we challenged, a parent teacher’s meeting was convened and named few students as problem makers. We have to fight for justice and gender-sensitive campus.”
