Latest incident in which a video on punishment to a student at the hands of a teacher in a Srinagar coaching centre went viral on social media should act as an eye opener.
Many such incidents go unreported. While the teacher or the staff of any academic institution can have multiple reasons to justify such heart-wrenching incidents, it becomes a primary responsibility of the regulatory authority to put a check on such uncivilized teacher-student interactions.
The world of teaching has witnessed a paradigm shift since last few decades and the teaching methodologies have seen a 360 degree change.
From student friendly environment to technological involvement, the academic institutions particularly coaching centers are supposed to offer an enabling environment to students for better results.
While the corporal punishment can not be condoned, a strange relationship between parents and the children is also not advisable.
Parents must create a strong bond and counsel their children and have a tight vigil on their activities till they attain an age wherein they can distinguish between right and the wrong.
Many incidents of brute punishments to students particularly the tender aged students have come to fore in past from many parts of Kashmir, but the latest one has got wide publicity and a huge impact on the minds of parents who would now rethink whether to admit their wards in such coaching centers or not.
While the government should ensure strict enforcement of laws concerned with corporal punishments, it should simultaneously create an enabling atmosphere in its schools so that there is no need to have additional coaching burden on the minds of our children.
It is appreciable that the district administration Srinagar took a serious cognizance of the latest incident and reportedly took some action against the above mentioned coaching centre; it becomes a primary responsibility of the directorate of education that unfortunately seems to have been mute spectator to mushroom growth of such coaching centres across Kashmir.
