Govt must take bold step to stop campus violence: Xavier's VC

Vice-Chancellor of newly formed St Xavier's University Fr Felix Raj has said the government must take a 'bold step' to stop student unrest in colleges.
"I am distressed when I see students studying for 10 per cent of total hours and agitating for the rest 90 per cent. Colleges must produce educational leaders, not political leaders," Fr Felix Raj said.
The government must take a decision to depoliticise the education system as colleges should be considered as "temples of wisdom, not temples of agitation", he told PTI.
College campuses have been rocked by student unrest across West Bengal in recent times.

The government must take a 'bold step' and "I know the CM (Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) wants that", the vice-chancellor of the new university which will open its first academic session from this July, said.
The bill for setting up the new university, which is operational from February 8, the date of notification, was unanimously passed by the Assembly on December 15. Governor K N Tripathi gave his consent to the bill on January 16.

On the programmes of the university, Fr Felix Raj said it would have exchange programme with Jesuit universities in the US, Europe, Australia, India and Japan.

Despite being a university, he said, St Xavier's would continue to have its own school and college - both were 157 years old.
So, a student is now able to study from primary level to post-graduate level in St Xavier's, Fr Felix Raj, who is also Principal of St Xavier's College, said.
About the courses of the new St Xavier's University, he said, "We will start in July 2017 with 650 students for two undergraduate and four post-graduate courses."
Besides, the university will start MBA courses in 2018-19 session, he said.
Besides getting land from the government, Fr Felix Raj said the university got help from 11 chapters of St Xavier's Alumni Associations - in the US, Canada, Dubai, Europe, Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand and others - in raising funds.

"We have already spent Rs 125 crore while the whole project involves Rs 360 crore," he said.