KOZHIKODE/KOCHI: The general education department has decided to ask all schools in the state to form anti-ragging cells amid reports of ragging in some schools.
“Incidents like ragging, which are not conducive to the welfare of society, are taking place in some educational institutions in the state,” General Education Minister V Sivankutty said on Sunday.
“To prevent ragging, strict measures need to be taken, along with organising awareness activities and grassroots-level interventions. Therefore, the department of general education is considering introducing anti-ragging cells in every school.
The department is planning to form a committee of senior officials to arrive at the structure and functioning of the cells,” Sivankutty said, while addressing the Kerala School Teachers’ Association state conference in Kozhikode. He said the committee will be asked to submit its report, based on which anti-ragging cells will be created.
The anti-ragging cells are mandatory in higher education institutions while it’s not compulsory in schools until now. The government move to form anti-ragging cells comes in the wake of a 15-year-old boy taking his life last month by jumping from his apartment allegedly following ragging and bullying at his school at Thiruvaniyoor in Ernakulam district.
In another incident on February 12, five students of a government-aided higher secondary school in Kannur allegedly assaulted a junior for not respecting seniors and not obeying their ‘orders’.
Won’t allow entrance examinations for Class I admissions: Sivankutty
Sivankutty said action has been taken against a clerk who was found guilty in connection with the suicide of a student in Thiruvananthapuram. “The tragic incident of a student jumping from a flat in Ernakulam is also being taken seriously, with even stricter measures being enforced.
Many such incidents occur in management-run schools, though some government schools also face issues,” he said. “Though disciplinary committees, counselling schemes and school protection groups are in place in schools, ragging has not yet been fully eradicated,” the minister said.
According to Sivankutty, the anti-ragging cell should be able to instil in students the right attitude to adopt not only at the school level but also when they enter college.
“Steps will be taken to strengthen the teacher-student relationship. Children should be able to tell their teachers about the difficulties they are experiencing. Teachers should also listen to them with empathy and work together accordingly,” he added.
Sivankutty also said no entrance exam or interview will be allowed for admissions to Class I in schools across Kerala. “A timetable and circular will be issued to regulate the admission process, and strict action will be taken against any violations,” he said.
As part of the state government’s efforts to enhance the quality of education, a comprehensive education quality improvement plan will be implemented.
The ‘subject minimum’ rule — the minimum passing score that a student must obtain in each subject of an examination — will be introduced in the eighth grade this year and subsequently extended to the ninth and tenth grades in the coming years.
Dismissing any form of corporal punishment, the minister emphasised that students who fail to meet minimum academic requirements will receive orientation classes instead of punitive measures. The government has also prepared a list of unrecognised schools, he said, adding that institutions failing to meet the required criteria will not be granted permission to operate.