Awaaz, IIT Kharagpur conducted a survey regarding the general issues and concerns of student community so that the candidates could design their crucial SOP according to the needs of the KGP community. Based on the responses of the survey, we hereby present the analysis of the ‘Pre Election Survey’. So, let’s have a look at it.
Electoral processes
Fairness of the election process
When asked to rate how just is the electoral process, 78.9% of the student community gave it a score of 3 or less much similar to the previous year’s response of 83% giving the same rating. The average rating remained low to 2.80 same as that of the previous year with 2.62. ‘Dirty Politics’ continue to prevail in the campus and measures seems ineffective in putting a cap on it.
Pact System:
When asked about the factors that hinder the path of a deserving candidate, ‘Pact System’ topped the chart. 76.3% of students consider this practice to be unacceptable and demands strong action against it. This practice deteriorates democracy and transparency of the electoral process. A prestigious institute like this should have a corruption free election which is still a concept of parallel universe for this campus.
Other Factors
After Pact System, not belonging to a society poses to be the biggest threat. Societies apart from giving someone a platform to explore his interest serves as a vote bank during elections. More the number of societies someone is involved in or larger the society, the more support he will get. Even the societies have their Pact System similar to Halls. It takes away the opportunity from a very deserving candidate because the Pact has to be maintained.
Going through the proposals
A proposal may be thought as one of the formal ways for making choice before casting your vote as it shows a reflection of the candidate’s willingness and determination towards change. But only 42.5% of people go through all the proposals before making up their mind on whom to vote. About 43.4 % people look attentively to proposals of only some candidates, while the rest 14.1% never go through the proposals before casting their precious vote.
Implementation of Proposals
KGP election lightens up with various loopholes still present in the student community. One of them is that we still lag a platform or a website which shows the extent to which the proposals are completed. Students should be aware of the feasibility of the proposals. 58.1% people think that candidates promise way more in their proposals than they can actually implement. Although 37% of people are a little less negative claiming that only some of the proposals are out of their limits and not all. Only 5% thinks that their proposals are always in their limits.
Candidates working on their proposals
KGP community, when asked about this issue, gave predictable views. Nearly 70.4% stated that some of them do work according to their proposals. According to the 18.2 % students, no one ever works on their proposals while the rest 11.4% gave a positive review saying most of the candidates after winning work on their proposals. A candidate is always answerable to the community irrespective whether he/she was able to follow the proposals or not.
Institute Welfare or Personal benefit?
About 30.8% of the people think that candidate stand in the election just for their personal benefits, while 59.8% have a differing opinion that sometimes they do stand just for personal benefit. And only 9.4% of people think all the candidates want to work for the welfare of the institute.
‘NOTA’ as an option
KGP is still one step behind the national level elections for missing the ‘NOTA’ option in the Gymkhana elections. A vast majority of about 69.2% wishes the option to be added in our election too. Although 7% of the people are not so sure about it and the rest 23.8% are happy with the current decision of not having the ‘NOTA’ option.
Suggestions on the Electoral process
- There should be a website or some platform indicating to what extent each proposal was completed.
- Put some quarterly evaluation system for the candidates.
- Before every new election, a formal review of the existing TSG members need to be done exactly in the same way as the SOAPbox is conducted. The only differences will be audience will ask why the candidates are unable to finalise what they promised and why.
- Administration has to acknowledge the ‘pact system’ and openly speak about it, if they back an isolated candidate she/he will feel confident enough to stand up. At present we just let the society saga to rule the institute.
- Open house sessions mandatory to attend for elected members every 2–3 months during their tenure.
Campus-related issues
SECURITY SYSTEM
Security of the campus and its population is one of the prime duty of the administration. Upon the overall rating for security systems, on a scale of 5, the average rating is 3.2, out of which about 77% have rated 3 or more out of 5. Well clearly, KGP community is moderately satisfied with the security system.
Suggestions:
- Security check at the entry gates should stricter.
- Increase monitoring to ensure less drug and alcohol consumption in the campus.
COUNSELLING CENTER
Mental health is equally important for a person’s well being as physical health and
Counselling Centre plays a major here. However, people seem quite unhappy with the effectiveness of it. The average rating was just 2.4 out of 5, in which 50% of people have voted 2 or less much alike the previous year. Clearly, improvement is much needed. Some problems which students highlighted were the timings of the counselling center, it’s early closing time and remaining closed on non-working days. Some don’t even know about their operations in the campus.
Suggestions:
- Counselling center should be made more friendly.
- Online campaigning and try connecting to the student in their way.
- Conducting frequent mental health evaluation sessions to identify budding depression in any student.
SPORTS FACILITIES:
IIT Kharagpur will host the Inter-IIT Sports Meet 2019, so it is need of the hour to increase the students’ participation as well as the facilities provided to them.
Students have mixed views over the sports facilities in KGP and involvement of students in sports. Upon the overall rating of the sports facility, on a scale of 5, the average rating is 3.5, out of which about 55% have rated 4 or more out of 5. Well clearly, KGP community is satisfied with the sports facilities.
Suggestions:
- Every sport must have a proper coach.
- Proper budget allocation.
- Improve the condition of sports equipments in halls.
- Encourage sports as a group engaging fun activity rather than just to win GC or Inter IIT.
- Need Archery, Rifle shooting, skateboarding park.
- Coaching classes must be there for everyone at a nominal fee.
BASIC AMENITIES
Talking about the basic amenities in the campus, people gave an average response. On the scale of 5, the average rating was about 2.9 same as that to one year back, with around 92.9% of people have rated between 2 to 4 similar to the statistic of 86%, recorded the previous year. This indicates that there has not been much improvement in this area.
Suggestions:
- A cycle shop near Nalanda and Vikramshila.
- Drinking water facilities on 2.2.
- Need improvement in mess food.
- Gender unbiased entry to hall canteens.
- Check for hygienic foods at the food outlets in the campus.
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Talking about medical facilities, KGP has always raised voice against the problems. Many promises have been made but still, this issue demands more attention from the authorities. The medical facilities in the campus stand very poor. The statistics show about 60% of the people have rated it below 3 out of 5. Medical facilities being such a delicate and important part of our daily life, it’s horrifying to see the overall rating to be just 2.32.
Suggestions:
- Annually audit of the medical facilities.
- The frequency of visiting doctors should increase, as they are very irregular.
- The frequency of specialist doctors visiting must be increased. Especially the Dermatologist which are in high demand.
- Doctors need to be a little more serious and good doctors need to be appointed.
- Digitalization in at least some of the processes. e.g. taking an appointment from doctors.
- Availability of doctors should be increased.
- A follow checkup after 2–3 days should be initiated rather than giving loads of tablets in prescription.
Bus Facilities
The average rating on a scale of 5 was found out to be 3.19. Well, bus facilities in the campus received a positive response with about 32.5% of them rating it 4 out of 5.
Suggestions:
- There should be an app or website to track the location of buses and information about their route.
- Install IIT Bombay’s system which takes you everywhere all day long. Also, buses from campus to station for 3 days after the exam ends and before semester starts.
- The time gap between two buses should be maintained. All Bus come at same time. This creates a problem for those who are even a minute late to reach bus stop.
- Buses should wait for 15 minutes after class is over as it is parked far away from where classes are held in Nalanda.
- Bus needs to come to the farthest hall from Nalanda i.e, BRH.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
Regarding the Wi-fi connectivity, people have given an average rating of 2.8 on a scale of 5, with 77.7% rated it between 2 to 4. One can see that there is still scope of betterment when talked about the speed of the internet.
Suggestions:
- The unnecessary blockage and filtering on WiFi and LAN should be removed. We should be living in a free campus where we’re able to access everything. This proxy system prevents internet access on multiple apps which proves to be quite hindering in lot of areas like using android studio or installation of libraries on python.
The problems which need to be addressed by VP/ GSec candidates:
- The proxy in network.
- The accountability of hall funds.
- The segregation of gender in campus which leads to unsought inhibitions to communicate with the opposite gender in a professional workfield later in their respective careers.
- We should get a whole list of marks and not just a grade in final result.
- Cycle repair shop in Nalanda is much needed.
- Reconstruction of the bicycle path from agriculture building to gate no.5 while returning from Nalanda complex.
- Lack of Supplementary Exam system.
- Bus for Kgp station and also for Kolkata airport.
- Attendance should be a compulsion but it should not carry marks.
- Credit limit should be avoided as this creates other issues which are kind of depressing. Credit limit is also creating path for another year to stay in campus. I don’t think credit limit is really helping poor students to increase the CGPA.
- Tree plantation should be more for seeking less pollution in the campus.
- Every student in the campus needs to know the way funds are being used which are provided to the student welfare. VP and Gsec Candidates needs to be held accountable for every penny spent.
- Tech- Try to come up with PSs from industry. Ask them to sponsor the ideas they would like to see it selling in the market.
- Why we cannot have an All-the-year open campusing option for RS like IIT Bombay? The problem is that suppose a RS student submits his/her thesis in the month of February. The thesis takes around 2–3 months to get reviewed. Then defence of thesis is called which is around May/June, By July the formal process is completed and August is convocation. After that he/she is not eligible to sit for campusing. But IIT Bombay has option for RS to sit for the next immediate campusing irrespective of the time they submit their thesis. This should be looked into.
