Bengaluru: It was a shocking experience for teachers and school administrators in a Bengaluru school after a routine exercise of checking students' bags revealed shocking facts of them being in possession of condoms, contraceptives, cigarettes and whiteners.
The school management was shocked to find such items in the bags of students of classes 8, 9 and 10 of the school. Some teachers had recently complained to the school management about children bringing mobile phones to class. Following this complaint, the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) directed its member schools to check the students' bags.
D. Shashikumar, general secretary KAMS said this was just the tip of the iceberg. The school has decided to send these children on a 10-day holiday. The management have also decided to keep the information confidential and arrange counselling for the students and their parents.
The checking was conducted mainly in the schools located on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The condoms and contraceptives were found in the bags of Class 10 students, both boys and girls. Upon questioning, the students without any hesitation told the teaching staff that they needed to have some fun amid their tight schedule, sources said.
The behaviour is also attributed to the isolation period of two years during the Covid pandemic as the children spent most of their time with electronic gadgets. The parents and school managements conceal these facts fearing getting a bad reputation. There are small children who are drug peddlers. If the matter reaches a high-level committee, we will speak about it, Shashikumar said.
It was a routine exercise taken up by the school managements as per the advice of KAMS. In a meeting, these facts were discussed in the interest of students. "I made a submission to the Child Welfare Committee in this regard four days ago but there has been no response," he said.
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He maintained that in order to protect the rights of one set of children, the rights of other children have been violated. These children are exploiting other children. Disturbing things like substance and tobacco abuse, peer pressure, fights, and comparisons are happening among the children. Unfortunately, no one is able to question the children.
The parents are helpless and the teachers are reluctant as the slightest questioning of children amounts to an offence these days, Shashikumar said. Sources in the education ministry said that they have not received any complaints in this regard so far.
According to Lokesh Talikatte, president of the Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association (RUPSA), children are "losing their minds due to the introduction of modernity". "Modernity is overwhelming them even before they are aware of it. The issues that bothered children in the past are different, the issues that bother them today are different," he said.
