Delhi: After teacher assault, fresh demand for more security

After a teacher at a Delhi government boys school in south Delhi was assaulted with an iron rod by his student because he rebuked him for low attendance, fellow teachers have once again raised the alarm over their safety within school premises and have demanded more security.

Teachers of government schools have been demanding measures to ensure their safety, after a teacher at a government school in south Delhi was stabbed to death by two class XII students, after he rusticated one of them for low attendance. Earlier this year, a teacher in northwest Delhi was assaulted by the parents of a student.

The 53-year-old teacher assaulted on Saturday sustained injuries on his head, above his ear and on his cheek. “He is currently feeble and requires time to recover. We can’t say when he will be in a condition to resume his duties. He has been working as a teacher all his life and is just seven years away from his retirement,” said his son.

According to the general secretary of the Government School Teachers’ Association (GSTA), Ajay Veer Yadav, a meeting of teachers will be held at the school and the next step will be decided based on their inputs.

“Every teacher is in fear because of periodic cases of assault. There has to be an increase in security at the schools, with the number of guards deployed in ratio with the students — one guard per 100 students. There are only three guards in each school, which might have 5,000 students. Further the guards recruited from the agencies are completely untrained,” he said.

However, Director of Education Sanjay Goel, said: “Even if the number of guards are increased, unfortunate incidents like this can still occur. In any case, the government is soon going to be increasing the number of guards in each school, but this is for the safety of the students, especially girls. These guards will be placed at the gates to protect students from outsiders.”

Yadav added that another major demand from teachers is that the entry of outsiders into schools be restricted. He further claimed that the vulnerability of teachers has increased due to the powers vested in the School Management Committees.

“The SMCs, of which parents are members, have completely captured power over the principals and teachers, and humiliate us in front of students, which erodes their respect for us. Where is our dignity?” he said.

Goel said that issues of tussle between teachers and SMCs have been raised, and that “these are institutional clashes and the government will not erode the power of stakeholders”.

“However, I will look into the GSTA’s submissions to see if there are any feasible solutions,” he said.
News Source (Indian Express)