Rising Concerns Over Student Misconduct in Kerala Schools

Swift Summary:

• Teachers in KeralaS government higher secondary schools are raising concerns over a rise in deviant behaviors among students,citing incidents such as physical attacks,threats,and other forms of disrespect toward educators.
• Reported cases include students attacking teachers physically (Kozhikode),threatening staff (Pannur),damaging property (Puthuppady),and clashes between students leading to injuries for intervening faculty members.
• A psychologist attributes thes behaviors to factors such as excessive screen time, poor parenting, peer pressure, drug use, and inadequate discipline at home and school.
• the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences act is reportedly being misused by some parents or students to target teachers when disciplinary actions are taken.
• Teachers feel disempowered due to fears of departmental or legal complaints against them when trying to address student behavior issues.
• Psychological consequences like poor attention span and impulsiveness are observed among affected children alongside physical health complications tied to substance abuse and screen-related fatigue.
• Initiatives like “Our Duty to Children,” under the Department of Women and Child Development,have been suggested for further strengthening as a solution.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The rise in incidents of deviant student behavior reported by kerala’s teachers points to broader challenges across educational institutions involving societal trends like changing family dynamics, media influence on youth behavior patterns, substance abuse prevalence, and diminished respect toward customary authority figures. First-principled reasoning suggests that interventions need a dual approach-preventive measures through better early guidance at homes supported by educational reforms within schools.Strengthening initiatives like “Our Responsibility to Children” seems rational as it leverages existing frameworks for identifying underlying vulnerabilities scientifically while promoting reintegration into positive social norms. Additionally bolstering teacher protections against misuse/loss-of-authority due POCSO hesitations remains critical protecting productive-classroom climate balances[get link].