A Study on the Prevalence and Nature of Ragging Practices in Selected Educational Institutions in India

Abstract

Ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined the careers of thousands of students. A total of 717 cases of ragging were reported in the English print media alone across the country from January 2007 to September 2013. However, the media reports tend to focus on extreme cases and do not reveal the true extent of ragging. Moreover, in the absence of empirical data, it is difficult to understand the processes involved in, and the ramifications of, ragging. This study examines the prevalence and types of ragging practices in educational institutions. The study covered 10,632 students from 37 educational institutions spread across 12 states in India. Findings show that almost 40 per cent students admitted to having experienced some kind of ragging. College-wise analysis of the results showed marked variations in the prevalence of ragging among colleges, thus pointing to the role of institutional factors in the occurrence of ragging. Variations in responses are also seen based on the kind of course pursued, gender, and place of residence of student, thus indicating that these are critical factors in influencing the prevalence, severity and kinds of ragging practices.