Editor,
It is well known among the people that ragging is existent in the academic institutions of our state, since there have been reports of past incidents of the same nature.
In JNVs, the senior students, under the guidance of respective teachers, are empowered with the responsibility of running various daily activities of the school for its smooth functioning. The idea is good in ideal circumstances but becomes ugly in some situations, and this type of untoward incident comes to the surface.
Teachers in JNVs are deputed on all-India basis. Sometimes teachers from faraway places fail to develop the feeling of belongingness to the environment. They confine themselves only to the allotted time schedule by the management. They become hesitant in engaging themselves in the local way of life.
Here are some ways forward: The senior students’ engagement in school-managing activities should be lessened to the extent of engaging them only in ceremonial roles; the teachers’ engagement with the students on a real-time basis should be made active beyond the academic hours (since it is a boarding school); the teachers should be made aware of the local way of life and should be encouraged to include these in interacting with their counterparts; the parents should be encouraged to engage themselves in parents-teachers meetings more judiciously; an anti-ragging cell should be set up for immediate redressal; awareness should be generated through drama, theatres and workshops; and rallies should be conducted on a regular basis among the students, as well as the general public, for better understanding the effects of ragging among the affected.
Timely intervention of the stakeholders and implementing the mitigating measures should be the ultimate goal. The JNVs are wonderful places for the holistic development of a child and we, as a community, should always try to keep it that way.
A Dolley