The Hindu : New Delhi News : Schools lack principled staff

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Saturday, Feb 19, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Schools lack principled staff

Prashant Pandey

A FEW months ago, the Capital was abuzz with voices of concern about lack of discipline and moral values among the youngsters following the MMS scandal. However, the gang rape of a minor, in which a Principal and a Vice-Principal of government schools and two businessmen were allegedly involved, has raised similar concerns about the "elders" in the society, particularly teachers who are supposed to mould the minds of growing kids.

The incident, reported from Samaipur Badli in North-West Delhi on Thursday, is not only deplorable for the heinous act but also for the abuse of official position by the accused. In fact, the sequence of events suggests that the accused planned the criminal assault well in advance. The government rest house was already booked by one of the accused and all of them were lying in wait for their "prey" to arrive. One of the principals luring the victim into the trap by promising her a pass certificate, without the girl actually appearing for the board examinations, was again an act of abuse of official position.

Underlining another aspect of the incident, experts point out that sexual offenders targeting minors do not fit into any particular profile. In this case, the girl had little reason to doubt the intentions of the Principal from whom she took private tuitions. On the other hand, all the accused -- aged between 35 and 58 and doing fairly well in their vocations -- were apparently leading normal lives with their families. But they had no qualms about treating the minor girl as a commodity to satiate their lust.

Also experts point out that there are many cases in which sexual offenders are brought to book after they have committed the offence more than once. They added that usually there is a lot of pressure on the victim not to reveal her ordeal.

That the children are at risk from such offenders was also evident from another incident reported recently in which a government school teacher was accused of sodomising a boy in the school toilet. In the past too, there have been other instances of child sexual abuse by teachers.

Earlier, after the MMS scandal, which involved young school children, mobile phones were banned in government schools. Some other schools also banned the use of mobile phones in the school premises.

At that time, however, there was an impression that the government schools were "not all that bad". It was said the students of the government schools were least likely to make a nuisance of something like mobile phones. Usually, government schools do not rate high on parents' consciousness for the perceived lack of quality in education imparted to children there. (And these two incidents must have obviously dented the image of government schools further.)

Within a few months of each other, therefore, the unsavoury sides of both types of schools, those catering to the economically well off and those catering to the lower and lower-middle class, have come to light.

But it must be said that creating hysteria, as was generated after the MMS scandal, is no answer to the problem. In fact, it can be said with all certainty that not all teachers are out to make a "prey" out of their students. Similarly, not all the young and impressionable minds are going fast on the path of depravity.

Yet, it is time for the "elders" -- parents, teachers and the powers-that-be included -- to think seriously about better quality check in all types of schools. And, perhaps, it is also time for them to shed the thought that better education and good teachers are merely a function of economics.

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