Karimnagar, February 04: Officials of the education department will soon make surprise visits to schools to check if teachers are handing out corporal punishment to students. This is one of three initiatives being launched by the department in Karimnagar district following reports of teacher cruelty on their wards in recent weeks. The three-point programme will be unfurled in the next few days. Teachers of both private and public schools will be under the scanner of education officials.
Apart from surprise visits, the education department will also send out a special circular containing ‘do’s and don’ts’ for teachers.
Psychologists will counsel teachers, at the summer in-service training programmes, on how to behave with students, district educational of ficer (DEO) Rameswara Raju told The New Indian Express.
The DEO said it was necessary for teachers to follow student-friendly policies as children of this generation are highly sensitive.
In the past, even if teachers beat students, they were treated with respect as people used to consider that beating was part of the training system.
But these days, neither students nor parents are tolerant to such punishments and moreover, teachers punishing students are branded as uncivilised, the DEO said and advised teachers to refrain from giving out corporal punishment.
Meanwhile, nearly eight incidents of corporal punishment were reported to have occurred in the district during the recently held Republic Day celebrations. In one such incident, a teacher beat up students for spoiling decorations made on the occasion.
In another case, at a private school in Jagtial, the headmaster beat a student for not attending exams.
When asked about teachers making students attend to their domestic chores, the DEO said such practice would not be spared and warned teachers of strict action if they continued to do so.
GYAN FOR GURUS
* Circulars of ‘dos and don’ts’ to be issued to teachers
* Psychologists to counsel teachers in summer training programmes
* Officials will visit schools to check teachers from giving corporal punishment
—-Agencies