What Is The Justice K. Chandru Committee Report? – Education

The Justice K. Chandru Committee Report was presented to the Tamil Nadu government in June 2024. This detailed report was prepared by a one-person committee led by retired Madras High Court judge Justice K. Chandru. The committee was formed in August 2023 to recommend steps to stop caste-based discrimination and violence in schools and colleges. The report provides suggestions and strategies to make educational institutions safer and more inclusive for all students.

Understanding Justice K. Chandru Committee Report In Detail

Recommendations To Prevent Caste-Based Discrimination

The report provides a multifaceted approach to address the deep-rooted problem of caste-based discrimination, including:

1. Banning of caste markers: Prohibiting students from wearing any coloured wristbands, rings, or forehead marks (tilaka) that are caste markers.
2. Removal of caste affiliations: Schools should be renamed ‘Kallar Reclamation’ and ‘Adi Dravidar Welfare’ to eliminate any reference to caste.
3. Periodic transfer of teachers: Transferring high school and higher secondary school teachers periodically ensures that educators do not serve extended tenures in one location.
4. Mandatory orientation programme: Providing a mandatory orientation programme for Classes 6 to 12 on caste discrimination and caste violence, sexual harassment, and sexual violence and laws such as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention) of Atrocities Act.
5. Alphabetical seating arrangements: Seating arrangements of students in every classroom in all schools and colleges should be strictly based on alphabetical order.
6. Attendance registers: The students’ attendance registers must not contain any column or details relating to their caste.
7. School Welfare Officer (SWO): Appoint an SWO for each secondary school with over 500 students to oversee policies that foster an inclusive and discrimination-free environment.
8. Social Justice Students Force (SJSF): Creating an SJSF, modelled on the National Service Scheme (NSS), to combat social evils.

Other Recommendations

Some of the other recommendations include:

• Code of conduct for teachers and staff: Prescribing a statutory code of conduct for teachers and staff across all state-run educational institutions.
• Separate legislation: Enacting separate legislation to enforce social inclusion and a robust grievance redressal mechanism to allow students to report caste-based grievances confidentially.
• Student associations: Allowing student associations in all schools and colleges with annual elections.
• Local bodies’ control: Increasing local bodies’ control over primary education.
• Noon meal schemes: Managing noon meal schemes more efficiently through block-level central kitchens.
• Special intelligence units: Establishing special intelligence units.
• Expert body or agency: Appointing an expert body or agency to investigate allegations of saffronisation of education and activities that infiltrate educational institutions, hampering caste and communal harmony.

Key Findings Of The Report

The key findings of this report are:

1. Lack of infrastructure: The prevailing conditions in the 13 homes meant to rehabilitate children in conflict with the law (CCL) are horrific.
2. Violence and abuse: Children are routinely subjected to violence inside their homes, live in unsanitary conditions, are locked indoors, and barely get sufficient food.
3. Inadequate access to counsellors: The teens need consistent access.
4. No age or crime-based segregation: There is no segregation among the CCLs based on the crimes they are accused of, their age, the nature of the offence, or the number of times a CCL committed offences.
5. Lack of mental health help: Rehabilitation measures inside the homes mandate informal education, vocational training, a de-addiction centre, and counselling, but homes in Tamil Nadu are not keen to put effort towards it.

The Justice K. Chandru Committee Report provides a comprehensive approach to addressing the issue of caste-based discrimination in educational institutions. The committee’s recommendations aim to create a more inclusive and discrimination-free environment in schools and colleges. The report’s emphasis on removing caste appellations, creating a Social Justice student force, and providing a common code of conduct for teachers and staff is a step in the right direction towards promoting social harmony and preventing caste-based discrimination.

The report also highlights the need to improve the infrastructure and management of homes for children in conflict with the law, ensure access to counsellors, and provide vocational training and rehabilitation measures. Overall, the report provides a roadmap for the Tamil Nadu government to address the deep-rooted issue of caste-based discrimination and create a more inclusive society.