Return to gurukul can discipline students

VELLORE: Shocked by the murder of a school teacher by a student in Chennai on Thursday, a cross section of social activists, teachers, parents and educationists here have opined that the incident has exposed the fact that schools have failed to sow the seeds of humanism, love, discipline, confidence and life skills in students. According to them, this is causing students to become restless, depressed and violent. Social activist R Chandrasekaran said that  schools today focus on marketing education by highlighting the fact that they impart memorising skills and encourage a competitive spirit without taking into consideration children’s learning abilities. “A majority of children today do not like school because they are not happy there,” he pointed out.In fact, children learn to be violent at school from some teachers who, in the name of disciplining students, resort to hitting them. This is often witnessed in children who don the role of teachers while playing at home. The present school system does not recognise slow learners and fails to cater to their needs.  According to Chandrasekaran, the delicate teacher-student relationship is eroding and we are producing generations of youngsters who are mentally disturbed and unable to handle stress. “The government should seriously consider going back to the ‘gurukul’ system of education that aimed at producing good humans beings and good citizens, instead of aping the west,” he added.Ruby Nakka, a member of the District Child Welfare Committee pointed out that teachers should not merely remain teaching machines and must become receptive to the needs of the students they teach.  The incident has highlighted the need for the appointment of  psychological counsellors in every school, said A Mangaiyarkarasi, district organising secretary of the Tamil Nadu PG Teachers Association. She also expressed concerns over the increase in nuclear families, which affects children.Dr Anna Tharyan of the department of psychiatry, said that the psychiatric needs of students are seldom recognised, while the modern system of education creates a high tension environment in schools. “In order to numb the pain and to escape the pressure, students become violent,” he added.