No Teachers’ Day Celebration In Various Schools In Delhi-NCR

“The schools have alleged that the Principals and teachers have been held accountable for situations beyond their control. The teachers feel that the venerated "Guru-Shishya Parampara" is gradually eroding in the face of suspicion, mistrust, arrests and the denial of the basic right of being heard and being granted bail. Teachers say that they are scared. They fear the harsh, criminal like treatment based on false allegations and the move to not celebrate Teachers' Day is to seek a fair hearing, fair trials and some basic protection and legal safeguards. Teachers say that it’s essential that parents show faith in them while handing over their children to the school.

While it’s unfortunate that some teachers and schools feel that they are being given harsh treatment on basis of allegations and growing mistrust, thereby not celebrating Teachers’ Day this year, it’s not the practical solution to the problems which the school communities are facing collectively and shall continue to face, if positive steps are not taken on urgent basis.

The society should understand that schools is not just the staff but a community, having teachers, school management, parents, local community and Government bodies all working together for a common goal i.e. to educate the society and benefit the students.

The entire school community is facing the effects of safety related incidents, which are now increasing at an alarming rate. These incidents affect the lives of school community directly and therefore leave a lasting impact. (The link shows more about schools’ resistance in signing safety affidavits. 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/schools-uneasy-about-affidavit-on-students-safety/articleshow/65140773.cms)

The first step towards seeking a solution to a problem is accepting that there is a problem, we as a society have to accept and understand that the society is moving at a “Never Witnessed Before” pace and it’s virtually impossible to control its rate, the aim should be to equip oneself better to react to the rapid changes and minimise the risks and manage the situations efficiently.

Safety related incidents affect the life and time directly and both are irreversible!

While schools are experienced and thoroughly trained in the field of education and various co- curricular subjects, the lack of safety culture in Indian society for decades has not practically trained or prepared them well enough for managing safety related issues in the present, drastically changing times.

While it’s easy for a School to install gadgets and upgrade the infrastructural facilities, the need of the hour is to train the persons involved to utilise and manage them efficiently. Making a super highway between two destinations is not going to ensure safe journey until unless the drivers on that highway know the correct way of using them and understanding safety and taking actions accordingly

The need of the hour is to be proactive in safety and upgrade the Safety Culture in the school society. To train and guide the school community in Safety Management, so that they understand to develop this vital life skill and be able to implement it practically, thereby minimising risks and maintaining incidents efficiently.

In almost all cases, a major accident is usually a series of small incidents which went unnoticed or overlooked.  If the school society is trained to identify and eradicate those small incidents or minimise their effect, major accidents will reduce drastically. 

Safety is not a gadget, but a state of mind.