'Allow teachers to discipline students': Letter to CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: The association of private educational institutions has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Department of School Education, requesting that teachers be allowed to take disciplinary action against students displaying unruly behavior in schools.

In a recent interaction program organized by the School Education Department, a student remarked that “the Education Minister does not know Kannada,” causing embarrassment to School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa. Referring to this incident, the General Secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary & Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), D. Shashi Kumar, highlighted in the letter that such embarrassing situations are faced by teachers daily. He urged granting teachers the authority to address misbehaving students and take necessary actions.

The association expressed concern that unruly behavior, such as harassment, insults, name-calling, and even physical attacks, is becoming increasingly common in schools and colleges. They noted that teachers feel powerless in dealing with these situations.

Concern Over Parents’ Behavior

KAMS also raised concerns over trends such as parents encouraging children to use offensive language and posting such videos on social media. They warned that such behavior could negatively influence other children. The association criticized the government, the education department, and the child rights commission for failing to address these issues.

Recommendations:

• Formulate regulations to address students displaying inappropriate behavior in schools.
• Empower teachers to take minimal disciplinary actions to maintain decorum.
• Address issues concerning the behavior of parents and representatives in the education sector.

The letter emphasized that minimal disciplinary actions taken by teachers in good faith should not be viewed as criminal acts. Referring to court observations, the association requested that teachers be allowed to educate and discipline students to some extent, including having erring students write apology letters.