HYDERABAD: In the wake of a string of student suicides at social welfare residential institutions, the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) issued a circular on Wednesday directing teachers to stay on campus at night and conduct counselling sessions, if necessary.
The circular, issued by the TSWREIS secretary K Seetha Lakshmi, said: “In the context of the unanticipated events occurring in TSWRE institutions during the examination season and the summer, the principals are instructed to depute a large number of regular teachers for night stay and holiday duties. The night-stay teachers must remain watchful throughout the night and monitor the children’s actions. Only if the institution does not have sufficient regular teaching staff on the payroll, it can use the services of part-time staff for night stay and holiday duties too.”
It also told principals to oversee the activities of staff assigned to night duty and holiday duties. Additionally, they are required to remain on campus during holidays to prevent untoward incidents. The principals are also directed to liaise with the district welfare officer through district coordinators and enlist the services of the district child protection officer to counsel students during this period. These will remain in effect until the end of the academic year.
Teachers are not nightwatchmen, says TSUTF
Opposing the circular, the Telangana State United Teachers’ Federation (TSUTF) said that in response to the series of student suicides, the number of night duty teaching staff had been increased from two to four. “The TSWREIS has diminished the role of teachers to that of mere nightwatchmen. This is highly objectionable,” it stated.
TSUTF president K Jangaiah, general secretary Chava Ravi and TSWREIS wing president D Yellaiah said the underlying cause of student suicides was mental stress. Without considering this, the TSWREIS issued strange orders, they said.
They alleged that TSWREIS, akin to corporate educational institutions, was pressuring students to achieve better results in the SSC and Intermediate examinations. Subsequently, they said the suicide culture, previously limited to corporate environments, had spread to government welfare institutions as well.
The TSUTF demanded that the TSWREIS take proactive steps to reduce mental stress among students and cultivate a more supportive atmosphere in the institutions. Furthermore, it questioned how the welfare hostels’ staff could provide amenities like buttermilk, cold water and watermelon to students during the summer without adequate funding.