Indian Ethos and School education
School is an institution designed to allow and encourage students (or pupils) to learn under the supervision of teachers. In the ancient times, Gurukuls did impart the learning. Moguls established Madarassas for Muslim parents and during British Rule; Christian missionaries started their schools in India. Some of them gained immense popularity and parents to put tag of “different” preferred such schools for their wards over govt. schools.
Such schools are required to maintain highest moral standards in their behavior and practice. However, some times shocking revelation that a teacher has been guiding students of primary classes to visit porn sites so vehemently forbidden in Indian ethos. One such instance has come to notice in which parents of a student have alleged that the art teacher has been prompting school students to visit porn sites.
The parents have been demanding a probe into the matter and the school also conducted probe but left it incomplete on the plea that the parents have not been cooperating with the school authorities. However, the parents alleged that the school is not conducting a fair trial and instead is shielding the teacher and urged an enquiry by the administration,
The administration conducted an enquiry and found the teacher guilty of inappropriate behavior and also indicted the Principal of the school of shielding the teacher and also for conducting a workshop where students were taught to hack networks of others.
These schools maintain themselves and regulate their affairs without drawing upon the State funds and such schools do not desire any regulation upon them. Similar is the instance of the St. John School, Chandigarh approaching National Commission for Minority complaining against the administration for interfering in the school affairs.
Why we are made to forget that the issue is related to a teacher who had been provoking the children to visit adult sites and this should have been addressed as the primary issue by the school authorities. If some one suggests the administration should remain mute on the issue, this is would be asking for too much. Allegation of arm twisting by the management of the schools by the officers of the administration seeking admission in them for their favored also have no relevance. The simple issue to be addressed by all concerned should be whether the teacher in question really did lure students to visit the sites which parents consider forbidden in our social parlance.
The school conducted the enquiry but did not complete it because the parents of the students allegedly did not cooperate in the matter of enquiry. That does not amount to denying enquiry by the education department or any other agency to conduct an independent probe. Since the administration has conducted an enquiry where in the parent of the child has also provided proofs against the teacher and there is an indictment against the teacher, so the school should further probe to satisfy itself on the basis of the facts enumerated in the enquiry. The enquiry does not pass judgment against the teacher or the school but bares the facts of the case.
Education should be seen as a service industry and not a government handout, yet the social duty of the administration in requiring schools to maintain decorum can not be questioned in the wake of ‘independence’ of such schools. The administration is fully justified in taking steps where in a school is meting unfair behavior having criminal connotations. After it was the same school from where a teacher was removed for allegedly meting out corporal punishment on a student.
Satish Chandra Sharma,
Cell: 9888255128