Justice Chandru committee

The one-man committee headed by retired High Court judge K Chandru, to frame guidelines to avoid violence based on caste and community among college and school students, submitted its report to the Tamil Nadu Government on Tuesday, June 18.

The committee was formed in August 2023 after two Dalit children were attacked by a group of six minors who barged into their house with machetes, in Nanguneri.

Recommendations:

1Removal of ‘caste names’ from TN schools.

2Any caste prefix or suffix associated with government schools that indicate either the donor or their family should also be removed.

3Prohibiting coloured wristbands and other caste markers used by the students

4Forming the Social Justice Students Force with students from all communities to combat social evils.

5Reservation in science courses of higher secondary classes for Scheduled Caste students

6Expert body or an agency be formed to investigate allegations of saffronisation of education and activities that infiltrate educational institutions, hampering caste and communal harmony.

7a common code of conduct for teachers and staff of all schools, colleges and universities run by the State.

8Attitude towards social justice issues must be ascertained and taken into account before the recruitment of teachers by Teachers Recruitment Board

9Attendance register of the students should not contain any column or details relating to their caste.

Earlier, the government had entrusted the retired justice to look into the working of homes under the JJ Act in Tamil Nadu and suggest ways to improve their efficiency, the report of which was submitted on November 15, 2023.