Editorial: Safety in Schools

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government took a laudable and courageous step of dismissing from service 23 government school teachers who were involved in sexual harassment. They will even be barred from teaching in future, The State is contemplating action against others facing charges and inquiry. This should and will send a strong message to everyone that there will be serious consequences for committing heinous crimes against vulnerable students who are not able to resist or oppose those more powerful than them and defend and protect themselves.

Disturbing reports of child abuse and sexual harassment are reported periodically. Given the nature of the crime and the persons involved, one can surmise confidently that the problem is prevalent far more than what comes to light. The factors that lead to suppression and under-reporting of such cases are the stigma attached to such crimes and the unequal power equations between the perpetrators and the victims.

Studies show the complexity of the problem and how the perceived impunity by the perpetrators goes unchallenged. It is in this context that the government’s action plays an important role in driving home the point about the long arm of the law. One cannot understate the importance of severe punishment under stringent provisions of the law to act as a deterrence. However, experts and educationists have been advocating a more comprehensive response to the problem. Let’s look at the common solutions suggested by many.

Instal CCTV cameras, which can help but are not foolproof. Provide complaints boxes (Manavar Manasu), etc for making complaints anonymously without revealing one’s identity. Provide toll-free helpline numbers (14417 and 1098). Again, can work in some situations only. Appointment of counsellors can be quite ineffective if students perceive the counsellor to be a part of the school management and staff – as “one of them” - and therefore likely to take their side. Building the trust and showing the required autonomy is not an easy task. Mandatory background checks can help weed out only those bad characters with a known history.

The above steps will be effective only if students are made aware of the problem and empowered to resist or oppose it even if it is someone they are taught to respect and trust. Awareness and empowerment are not easy, especially to be inculcated in young people who are since childhood taught to defer to the wishes of their elders.

How can someone oppose or resist when they were taught only to obey and never to question elders? A combination of sex education and behavioural change training is needed.

Institutional mechanisms such as the Student Safeguarding Advisory Committee, proposed in the wake of rising cases, are important. Often these committees either remain on paper or do not serve the purpose in practice. Here comes the role of the local community and parents. They need to be made a part of these institutional mechanisms and given access to authorities so that they can monitor the functioning of the mechanisms and periodically audit the school safety systems. Only a decentralised, participatory approach involving all stakeholders will yield the desired results. It will be a combination of awareness and empowerment of children, supervision and intervention by community and parents and the deployment of smart technology and innovative measures which will go a long way in creating safe schools and other educational institutions. Tamil Nadu has been taking the right steps but the real change will begin to happen when the community takes the responsibility to do its bit.