Wednesday is a regular school day for institutes in Ahmedabad. But August 20 was different with unprecedented scenes being witnessed outside the campus of a school in the city: A huge crowd of people gathered outside and raised slogans. The protesters then proceeded to allegedly assault the teachers and the principal, and vandalised the school building before police could bring the situation under control.
The protesters, a number of whom were parents, were protesting against a shocking incident that had transpired near the school the previous afternoon. A Class 10 student had allegedly stabbed his batchmate over a minor row, resulting in the latter’s death a few hours later. The incident led to a range of actions – from FIR against the principal to school bag checking drives across the state.
Shocking as it was, the incident could not be viewed in isolation.
The first Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) report, released barely a few weeks before the stabbing, had raised worrying issues about the drop in not just academic standards in schools but also handling of social and emotional aspects of campus life.
The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 report, released for all states including Gujarat, observed about the latter: “Students face problems of being teased, made fun of, excluded from group activities and physically pushed by classmates; (they) reported that they are being threatened by their classmates, raising a concern to be addressed. Such incidents can be traumatising at times and must be addressed with care.”
As many as 35 per cent students in the state reported being teased by other students, 28 per cent reported being excluded from group activities by their classmates, 31 per cent reported that their classmates made fun of them, 24 per cent reported being threatened by their classmates, 27 per cent reported being hit or pushed around by their classmates, and 17 students reported not feeling safe at school. As many as 20 per cent schools reported not having an anti-bullying policy.
In Gujarat, 1.4 lakh students of Class III, VI and IX were assessed under PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted by PARAKH, NCERT under the aegis of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, to understand the baseline performance in the development of competencies at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages at the district level.
35% students in the state reported being teased by other students. 20% schools reported not having an anti-bullying policy.
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Looking at the findings of the PARAKH report, the state government, last week, held a review meeting chaired by Education Minister Kuber Dindor and Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya along with principal secretary, education, Mukesh Kumar and senior officers of the education department.
“The department is in the process of preparing a plan keeping in mind the report findings which were discussed in great detail at the high-powered meeting held on September 24 to deliberate upon the findings of the PARAKH report. All these findings will be taken into account while preparing the roadmap,” Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) director Prakash Trivedi told The Indian Express.
“Strengthening anti-bullying measures, fostering peer inclusivity, and implementing key protection policies can significantly enhance the overall learning experience. Students face problems of being teased, made fun of, excluded from group activities and physically pushed by classmates. Students further reported that they are being threatened by their classmates, raising a concern to be addressed. Such incidents can be traumatising at times and must be addressed with care. Although a smaller percentage reported not feeling safe, these instances still raise concerns. Few schools also reported of not having a proper policy on various issues like bullying, discipline, sexual harassment, etc. Students must be sensitised about these issues through workshops or counselling sessions. There is a need to have proper policies to report a student’s grievances and build a safe and comforting school environment for all learners,” the report states about Gujarat.
Nivedita Ganguli, psychologist and CBSE core committee member-parenting calendar and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) module, told The Indian Express, “Peer support programmes are very important among students while at the same time, parenting calendar plays a crucial role. Unfortunately, people are not using it rigorously. This is the time when counsellors need to be alert and need to collaborate with teachers.”
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The report further highlights: “Some students experience emotional and psychological challenges, such as difficulty to talk to someone when they feel upset or stressed, work pressure, feeling sad or unhappy, stress related to schoolwork, and feeling like not going to school.
Additionally, a few students feel anxious or worried, isolated or lonely, and unsafe in their environment or optimistic about their future goals. Some teachers are unable to handle students’ social-emotional level and a few teachers also mentioned that they are unable to resolve any conflict amongst the students in the class. To address these concerns, schools may consider integrating focused support systems that encourage open communication with emotional expression. Equipping teachers with relevant strategies and fostering peer empathy could contribute to better student well-being.”
21% students reported feeling sad or unhappy while 16% said they felt anxious or worried. 15% students felt isolated or lonely
As many as “21 per cent students feel sad or unhappy, 21 per cent students feel stressed or worried about their school work, 22 per cent students (are) not finding it easy/comfortable to talk to someone when they feel stressed or worried, 19 per cent students (report) feeling like not going to school, 16 per cent students feeling anxious or worried, 15 per cent students feeling isolated or lonely, 15 per cent students not feeling safe in their current environment,” the survey revealed.
Mrugen Shah, principal of Prakash Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad, told The Indian Express that emotional learning is vital. “Though we always talk about the role of teachers, principal and management but, going a step beyond, what about ideal parenting? Mental well being of students needs teamwork where all stakeholders in bringing up the child have to jointly contribute. While schools are responsible, it is also the duty of parents to check behaviour of the child. These are challenges of the new generation which we have to take up on priority and address them,” said Shah. “We don’t know what is going on at the back of a student’s mind. I would also point out that some constructive steps need to be taken about the quality of shows available on OTT and their viewership as vast exposure to such platforms besides social media is also one of the reasons for the changing emotional quotient of a child.”
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This school recently reported an alleged death by suicide of a Class XII student preparing for a career in medicine.
Further, on the need to focus on Social Emotional Learning, which, the report states, play a crucial role in students’ wellbeing and academic success, the survey responses highlight areas where greater attention is needed to support emotional health of the learner and equip teachers with strategies to foster a positive learning environment.
