taprial's Blog

Should Students be allowed to Carry Mobile Phones in Campus?

This is the current debate going on in India. The School authorities are very much against the use of these devices within the campus and are of the opinion that children should not be encouraged to bring their cell phones to school! Schools in Karnataka have banned the use of mobile phones and confiscate any phone that they find on students! Some parents, on the other hand, are anxious about this new ruling for the simple reason that they are not able to keep tabs on their children!

It has become a rage among students to carry their cell phones to school. The debate here is whether these phones are safe or may prove to be harmful to their health in the long run! There have been various studies on this aspect, and there is as yet no conclusive proof of any sort!

This is a ridiculous debate, according to me! I personally feel that there should be no doubt that any such devices should not be allowed on school campuses,(students below 18yrs of age).It is a known fact that mobile phones can be very addictive, and students get distracted easily with these kind of gizmos. Today, the electronic world is filled with a variety of such gizmos and the students are only interested in the kind of gizmo that they have! There will be a competition among each one to see who has the latest one and with how many features in it! To add to it, These gizmos also have games in it that are equally addictive, especially for kids who really have nothing much else on their minds or lives to do!

Then comes the fact that most of the mobile phones now come along with the camera feature, whether you actually want it or not, you are forced to get one simply because all the good models with the basic features will have a camera in it too! This as we have all witnessed several times is again a dangerous tool in the hands of students who are of the tender age of 13-16yrs, and whose hormones are going berserk! this will only lead to mishieve! How can you curb this?

Therefore, there are several reasons why a student below 18 years should not be allowed to carry a mobile phone within the campus at any rate! It doesn't matter if the school is Private or Public, the rules should be same for all!

'Teachers Should Be Role Models'

"Teachers mold the lives that they influence. Lessons learned from teachers remain with their students throughout life.  Teachers that break down barriers and reach into the souls of the students that they are responsible for do not get the recognition or gratitude they have earned. Many teachers are exhausted from their workload and responsibilities.  They have their own families, financial and life stresses that challenge them along with everyone else. We should always respect our teachers."
"Socrates was an example of a good teacher.  He considered himself a learner as well as a  teacher. For Socrates, love and friendship were the proper contexts for the pursuit of wisdom and goodness. Socrates saw himself only as a catalyst. He felt it was not his teaching, but actually the power of the Divine which enabled the person he was talking with to improve himself."
"In India 5th September is celebrated as Teachers' day. 5th September is the birthday of a great teacher Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the president of India in 1962, some of his students and friends approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate 5th September, his "birthday". In reply, Dr, Radhakrishnan said, "instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' day". The request showed Dr.Radhakrishnan's love for the teaching profession. From then onwards, the day has been observed as Teachers' Day in India."

This was an address given by our ex president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on the eve of Teacher's Day in 2003.
http://www.indianchild.com/teachers_day_india.htm

But, of late the teachers have been featured in the news items very often for stories that are horrific, and shameful. Teachers have been abusing their students and children of all ages, not only in India but all over the world, by beating, and other such horrific physical abuse and mental trauma that has even caused death.

Here are some facts and figures about Teachers and Corporal punishment that is bound to leave you cold.

1. CHILD ABUSE NUMBERS THAT WILL LEAVE YOU COLD.

Think of it another way. If you have two kids, it is highly probable that one of them will be beaten while at school.

I don’t know whether the numbers looked at all strata of society and whether the percentage represents number of school going children beaten every school-year or number of children beaten over the course of their school going years.

I don’t think I care. These numbers are terrible in either event.

get the facts and figures on this site:
http://theredpencil.wordpress.com/2007/08/06/see-those-3-kids-2-of-them-got-beaten-at-school/

2. What Is Wrong With Our Teachers?

Right after the news of death of a student because of teacher atrocity comes the report of electrocuting and beating kids to punish them for their “own good”. There is this other teacher who paraded a kid naked for taking a dip in the school tank. At least this one got one year jail. Another case is that of Munir Patel who started getting siezures after being hit by the teacher on the head.

Read the full report Here:
http://mutiny.in/category/nation/education/

3. India 360: Kids not safe in India

One in every two children in India is sexually, physically or emotionally abused.

Seventy per cent of abused children do not report it to anyone.

Maternal and paternal uncles are the biggest culprits in most abuse cases

Boys are as susceptible to abuse as girls

Spare the rod and spoil the child – in a country where this age-old dictum seems to work comfortably with both parents and teachers, a shocking study has confirmed that there is a conspiracy of silence surrounding child abuse in India.

Read the full article Here:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070410/211/6edz8.html

4. Porn racket in Delhi school triggers violence

 Hundreds of agitated parents damaged public vehicles and hurled stones at a state-run school here Thursday after a sting by a private news channel showed one of its teachers allegedly forcing girl students to act in pornographic films. Nine people including a municipal councillor were injured in the violence and police retaliation.

Read the full story here:
http://content.msn.co.in/News/National/NationalIANS_300807_1515.htm?WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished

After having read all that and seeing the conduct of teachers at large, doesn't it make you wonder, Why are we celebrating Teacher's Day at all? What's the purpose? Are we saluting these teachers?
In India, we had a huge amount of respect and adulation for our "Gurus" as they were known then! They were always put on the highest pedestal next to God and they deserved every bit of respect that they got. Those were the real teachers. They put their karma of imparting knowledge to their "shishya" above everything else and wouldn't give up until they had succeeded in their mission, no matter how long or how many years it took to achieve it. Their incentive was only to see their pupil succeeding in life.

What have they done to the profession? They are killing it and the students and crippling the future of the country! Can we blame the children for not wanting to go to school again, ever?