The current spate of sexual crimes against children calls for a holistic solution. Schools can follow all the stipulated guidelines, have CCTV cameras everywhere and even sensitise the children, but when you have one deviant lurking somewhere, who manages to do something like this, the management is helpless.
Parents and schools need to come together to protect kids, we cannot let it degenerate into an us-versus-you situation.
We need to deal with this, not just at school,but also at home and outside. What is the position of women in society? How do men think they can do this little kids and to women? The mentality is simply unacceptable. Harsh and speedy punishments will make the loudest statement in these cases.
Empowering students and teaching them the difference between a good touch and a bad touch is critical at the moment. Parents and faculty also need to be trained in how to handle these situations.
When you decide to take someone to the police for molesting a child, it is pretty much the end of their life. We need to protect our kids emotionally and physically, but at the same time, avoid confining them from the ways of the world.
Schools should also set up sexual harassment committees with parents as members. BPAC also has its B.SAFE initiative, which provides safety regulations. Schools should adopt something like this and maybe receive some certification when all the rules have been implemented.
I am concerned about the way educators are being perceived. Fewer people will want to be teachers or set up schools. The issue of schools running without licenses or affiliations reflects the government's attitude. They cannot give aspiring English-medium schools Kannada licenses and then tell them to do what they want.
If we don't respect our teachers, parents will not get the quality of education they want for their kids. If I'm going to be hauled up for somehow abetting a crime that I had no part in, I will no longer think of setting up a school. I hate to see the kids suffer in this way, but all teachers don't deserve to be treated like pariahs either.
