Article on issues in Education system

Are we matured enough for acknowledging the issues in Education system

15-yr-old Chennai boy stabs teacher to death in classroom

CHENNAI: A Class IX student of a Chennai school stabbed his teacher to death in a classroom on 9^th February 2012 morning. Police quoted the 15-year-old boy (TOI is withholding his identity as he is a minor) as saying that he was under pressure after the teacher repeatedly sent adverse remarks to his parents.

Shock and fear gripped St Mary's Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School on Armenian Street in Parrys, a middle-class neighbourhood, as the student, son of a customs clearing agency employee, repeatedly stabbed his Hindi teacher Uma Maheshwari.

The 41-year-old woman, who taught science and Hindi for classes IX and X, was in a classroom on the first floor, awaiting students for a special class at 11.40am when the boy attacked her. "He walked in with a knife wrapped in paper," a student told TOI. "He stabbed her first in the neck, then thrice more in the chest and abdomen."

A police officer said the juvenile offender was worried that he would not be promoted to class X. "He said he was upset that his teacher kept complaining to his father about his underperformance in Hindi. His father had met the teacher last Monday," the officer said. Investigators said the boy bought the knife from a shop near his house and took it to school on Tuesday and Wednesday too. He was waiting for an opportunity to attack her. "He kept the knife in his bag, waiting for an opportunity. He couldn't attack the teacher as she was always with some students the last couple of days. On Thursday, she was alone in a classroom when he stabbed her," the police officer said.

A colleague of teacher Uma Maheshwari said it was a free period at 11.30am and the teacher had volunteered to take a special class for students with Hindi as the second language. "There were just six students who were to attend the class. The boy went to the classroom with the knife before the other students reached there, and attacked her," Maheshwari's colleague said.

Other students who were coming for the class saw their teacher slumped in a pool of blood and the attacker with the knife. When they tried to nab him, he brandished the knife, threatening to attack them, said an eyewitness. Hearing their cries, more students and teachers rushed to the classroom and overpowered him before calling police. School administrator Fr Bosco Periyanayagam said the student did not attempt to escape.

Police recovered the blood-soaked knife from the boy and arrested him on charges of murder. The student's schoolmates said the boy was not aggressive by nature, but had been aloof. "He never mingled with others," a student said. His neighbours too said he has been a quiet child. "The boy would leave for school in his father's car and come back in an autorickshaw. He would not step out or play with other children in the neighbourhood," said a shopkeeper near his house. The victim, Maheshwari, is a relative of Nanjil Kumaran, a former police commissioner of Chennai.

Student stabs teacher for scolding him, escapes

VIRUDHUNAGAR (TAMIL NADU): A Class 9 student of a private school in south Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar stabbed his mathematics teacher, Pandiarajan, for scolding him for coming late to class on 30^th October 2012.

The boy then ran away from the school and remained on the run. Pandiarajan, who suffered an injury in his back, has been admitted to a government hospital and his condition is stated to be stable. "We have searched his house and asked his parents to inform us if he telephones them or visits home," said a police officer.

Pandiarajan had been scolding the boy for the past two days for his unpunctuality. But he ignored warnings and again came to school late on Tuesday. Pandiarajan pulled him up for repeatedly coming late to school. After scolding him, Pandirajan turned to walk away when the boy pulled out a knife that he had brought with him and stabbed him in the back.

Pandiarajan collapsed on the ground. Even as the stunned students in the class looked on helplessly, the boy escaped from the school. Fellow teachers rushed to the classroom hearing the noise and rushed Pandiarajan to the hospital. "We do not know whether it was a knife or some other instrument. But from the narration of the teacher and the students it appears that the boy had planned the attack," said a police officer.

The alarming frequency of incidents of students threatening or attacking teachers have become a cause of concern for the teaching community in Tamil Nadu.

Within a week, two XII students at Narikudi in Virudhunagar district were arrested and charged under the Juvenile Justice Act for threatening a teacher with a knife. Two days later, a group of students in a Kanyakumari school brandished a knife at a teacher and threatened him with dire consequences if he scolded them.

Source : Times of India

Is there any possible step that can be taken to avoid this kind of horrendous incidents?

First of all let us look out for a logical reason for the mind of a student to take a drastic action like this. Since it is fundamental analysis needed to understand the cause and effect of any action.

1. Students Hate studies: If we conduct a survey we may come to know that the maximum number of students will fall in this category. Small percentage of students is inclined towards studies and if we analyze deeper we will surely know that all the subjects are not interesting to every student. If we follow this angle then it is sure that dislike in studies will not be the primary cause for this.

2. Students Hate Teachers: Let us categorize teachers to different types say
Category A: Teaches well and Lenient towards students
Category B: Teaches bad and Lenient towards students
Category C: Teaches well and strict towards students
Category D: Teaches bad and strict towards students
In the above categorization A & B are likely to be liked by students.
C may not be liked by the students .D may be in hate category.

3. Student’s thoughts influenced by Parents: Let us categorize parents to different types say
Category A: Shows love and affection and teaches good moral & ethics
Category B: Strict and teaches good moral & ethics
Category C: Shows love and affection and doesn’t teach good moral & ethics
Category D: Strict and doesn’t teach good moral & ethics
In the above categorization A & B are likely not to be disturbed by other social influences.
Chances of C category being disturbed are more compared with A & B and D may be in a danger zone of disturbed mind.

4. Peer Pressure: Like minds join together, but where the case of extreme disagreement in thought is noticed there will be disapproval from the peer itself. Probability of peer pressure being the reason for these incidents is negligible.

5. School Targets: Let us categorize schools to different types say
Category A: Work towards knowledge, moral building of students and focus on school results
Category B: Work towards knowledge, moral building of students and do not focus on results
Category C: Do not Work towards knowledge, moral building and focus on results
Category D: Do not Work towards knowledge, moral building and do not focus on results
In the above categorization A & B are likely not to be the cause for any issue with the student attitude towards teachers and society.
Chances of C & D category being disturbed is more compared with A & B.


Bearcat’s View on the situation:

Human mind is very complex one and the output will not be the same even if same inputs are passed to each individual.

Nowadays School operates like business entity and the students pass percentage if less than 100 then they consider that they have not performed well. It has become a race and in this race students are the scapegoats, they have to work towards the target of the school. In this whole episode of completing one year of schooling by the student there is no time for the school, Management, teachers, parents to understand the taste of students, interests, likes, dislikes.
In the west students are asked to write articles / essays of any topic they are interested, based on the written note they evaluate whether the student is able to express themselves, their topic of interest, Is there any serious hindrance in continuing studies due to family circumstances etc. Any strange written note will be analyzed and proper counseling / corrective action is taken. In Indian context essay writing is also considered as a part of test paper, and guides / notes are provided to students so that they can mug up what someone has written. There is no outlet to the students.

There is an opportunity for school / teachers to air their views, about performance of students during Open Day(s) to the parents.
Is there any One single day in whole of the schooling to hear about students views related to what a student think about the school, Management, Teachers, staff, playground, their hobbies, likes, dislikes??????
Be honest to yourself and ask the question ‘Atleast Have we ever thought about this of asking a student about his/her views and thoughts’.

Consider Students as a pressurized vessel and there is no outlet to this pressure vessel. This vessel works very well and one in million cases it fails and once we hear the news we criticize current student’s behavior, teachers and schools and forget the situation in few days. Have we understood the root cause of this issue? Can we prevent this from happening?

First Step - Do we acknowledge that there exists an issue?
Second Step - Have we analyzed and found the root cause of the issue?
Third Step - Are we determined to tackle the issue?
Fourth Step - If we are not able to handle the issue, is our mind open to bring an expert
from outside and check for new ideas?
Fifth Step - Whether we worked and put a fool proof system in place?
Sixth Step - Do we monitor and check the feedback from the system?
If these are followed whatever the problem be, but the school would have got a better control over the system.

By
Bearcat BOB