Student as a bully: Why rules protecting teachers in school need to be stronger

The Instagram account had one follower, one post and followed just one account. Its name was a four-word mix of expletive and obscenity. And in the account description was more obscenity directed at a

teacher

and a threat to kidnap and rape her daughter. A Class VII student of a leading school in Gurugram is believed to have operated the account and written the post, which came to light last week and started an anxious debate about the state of teenage minds.

There was more to come. In a separate incident, a Class VIII student marked an email to two teachers whose subject line was a four-letter word and the mail asked if the two would be open to going out for a candlelight dinner followed by sex. This happened in the same school.

The behaviour of the two schoolboys has made child psychology experts and education professionals look up and take note. They variously point to technology-aided “disinhibition” among teens as well as the breakdown of institutional authority as causes for such delinquent behaviour. While students indulging in such acts are in dire need of counselling, this has a huge emotional impact on teachers as well.

The teacher against whom the Instagram post was directed submitted her resignation last Thursday, saying she was “emotionally very distressed” and asking both the school and parents to be more responsive and vigilant. “The school and parents should play a more proactive role in ensuring children are properly counselled and guided so that such incidents are not repeated,” the teacher wrote.

Deepika Sharma, principal of Delhi Public School (Gurugram) said a hostile work environment could adversely affect a teacher’s mental health. “There would certainly be a feeling of humiliation. If the students are older, the teacher may feel hesitant to go back to class. It finally affects the mental health of the teacher. Also, in a situation like this, there would be a high attrition rate in schools. There has to be definitive action that says this behaviour is wrong,” she said. “It does put a teacher on the back foot, where they would be concerned with safeguarding themselves before anything else,” said clinical psychologist Poojashivam Jaitly.

There are other equally strong factors affecting the modern urban student-teacher relationship today. “There has been a commodification across industries, even with doctors. It is the same in education where teachers are being seen as service providers today,” said Jaitly. “Women teachers get more intimidated in situations such as these. It is important for the management to back them,” said Tania Joshi, principal of The Indian School in Delhi.

Joshi herself was bullied 24 years ago, when she was a teacher in another school. “A student wanted to be let off from the class, and he argued for the same, saying his family had provided for the tubelights in the school,” she said. “At first, I was shaken. But then I realised I can’t let them have power over me. I put my foot down.”

Widespread and easy availability of technology has had something of a numbing effect, experts say. “The hesitation in saying something to someone in person can go away online,” said consultant psychiatrist Dr Avdesh Sharma. “When children are acting out their aggression with the help of technology like this, they are not facing the person they are acting out against. They are so into the moment, they don’t recognise the repercussions of their actions,” said Jaitly.

“Familiarity breeds contempt. And if a teacher is connected to students on social media, it would encourage that,” said Joshi, adding she had advised her school staff to not connect with current students on platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. “Children are impressionable and also beyond their age now. One has to give that relationship that sanctity,” Joshi said. “Schools must teach students to use technology in a constructive way,” said Minakshi Kushwaha, principal of Birla Vidya Niketan School in Delhi.

There is a call for evolving fresh sexual harassment norms to deal with delinquent behaviour. “This has to be a wake-up call across the board. This is a form of sexual harassment, and schools along with parents should consider coming to consensus on a policy to handle such cases,” said Dr Sharma.

“This is something we will have to do now. We are concerned about the safety of our students, but the emotional and physical safety of our staff is equally important,” said Aparna Erry, principal of the DAV Public School in Gurugram.

(With inputs from Rohit E David)