‘Methods to reform students may not work in govt schools’

VELLORE: A cross section of teachers feel that a move by the government to reform recalcitrant students will work on in matriculation schools and not in government schools, it was said.

Karkala Usha, principal secretary, education department in a letter to the education commissioner and the directors of primary education and matriculation schools drew their attention to various suggestions proposed at a meeting of the Tamil Nadu N Child Rights Protection Commission held on May 17 to reform recalcitrant students and advised that suitable action be taken in this regard.

The letter then reeled out a list of misdemeanors, including which students could indulge in. The list included footboard travel, creating a nuisance in public, disrespecting teachers, ragging other students, smoking, drugs, coming to school in two wheelers, hurting other students on the basis of caste, religion and economic status, taking videos during class, body shaming other students, using school walls to depict wrong messages and using foul language.

The letter suggested that such students be advised the first time and if they commited same mistake the second and third times, they should be asked to write five Thirukural couplets with meanings and show them to the class teacher, tell two moral stories learnt from their parents, recite five news items in class daily for a week, be made class captain for a week, recite the biographies of 5 historical leaders in class and prepare charts about good habits, first aid and the 1098 child line services.

The child welfare protection officer (CWPO) attached to a police station should talk to the student during the 4th misdemeanor and a change of school (with the consent of the school management committee) was advised if he/she committed the same misdemeanor the fifth time.

TN PG teachers association’s S Prabakaran said that waiting for a student to insult a teacher five times or insult 5 teachers is asking for the impossible. Teachers speaking citing anonymity said “in Tiruvallur district students assaulting bus crews has resulted in buses not arriving during the starting and closing times of schools.”

Another teacher said “issues started increasing only when corporal punishment was removed. Till then students respected teachers but now they know they will not be touched and so their intransingence has only increased.”

Prabhakaran of TN PG teachers association said that waiting for a student to insult a teacher 5 times or insult 5 teachers is asking for the impossible