DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS

After the Right to Education (RTE) Act was implemented, expectations from teachers and governments have increased. School enrolment is up. But on the ground, the results are disappointing. Teachers are expected to teach and maintain discipline in class but they are denied power or authority to reprimand. Even a harmless slap on the back of a student is interpreted as corporal punishment. The threat of expulsion doesn’t work because students know that the school won’t like to lose a client. Rowdyism, if brought to the notice of school heads, attracts an instant reprisal that classroom control is the responsibility of the teacher. Use of minimum force and threat is essential for the smooth functioning of any institution.

Mohan Singh, Amritsar