This incident is surely not an isolated one as so many of us as students must have witnessed such scenarios in class. At first sight in this clip, the teacher appears to be the monster and the student must obviously be the victim. But on second thought, this incident has raised numerous questions on our education system shows that the teacher is also a victim. The days are gone when the teacher used to be the sole master of the class. Now, says an educator from a secondary school, “the tables have turned and most of the time we are the ones who are harassed in class and we are helpless.”

Some reactions posted on the Defi Media Group website give us a clear picture of the other side of the story that has so far remained untold and needs urgent attention. The helplessness and frustration of the teachers facing undisciplined students cannot be more palpable than the following reaction posted by a teacher - “I am working as a teacher in secondary schools since eight years. I have never acted violently on anybody in my life so far and I am doing my best to leave this profession before I smash to death some students or those teeny minded people threatening teachers.”

The anger suppressed by this teacher is very much visible and there must be many other teachers who find themselves in similar situations, says clinical psychologist Poonam Baboo. She adds that there are students who are inclined to defy and provoke the teacher who represents an authority and the law. They push things to the extremes and put the tea­chers patience to test.

Acts of violence
Meanwhile another teacher lashes out against those who have a tendency to look only at one side of the picture. “Most of the time, the teacher is blamed for such incidents that happen in class. Is insulting a teacher and threatening him not an offence? What would be the reaction of the public if another video is aired where the student is beating the teacher? Would people say that the teacher is to be blamed as he forced the student to beat him up? A teacher won’t beat a student for no reason and nowadays, in our schools, students aren’t angels. They are far from being normal students,” he explains.

It is argued that aggressiveness forms an inherent part of the human psyche and it manifests itself more often in the teenager. Psycho­logist Baboo says that whatever strong emotion  cannot be expressed orally is relea­sed through acts of violence and these have always existed in our schools under different forms. She also adds that the acts of violence in our schools are a mirror-image of what is taking place in our society. It is the result of long lasting carelessness that has prevailed for too long at the expense of discipline and modern education.

Punishment and discipline
“Discipline should be spontaneous and it is a product of understanding which cannot be imposed from outside. Reaching a certain age, children are naturally undisciplined. The reason behind such behaviour is that they are beaming with energy and undergoing hormonal chan­ge. They are in conflict with themselves and do not know what is happening to them,” says Baboo.

On the other hand, forms of punishment that are currently practised in our education system are not efficient enough and at times border on the ridicule as explains another message posted on the website - ‘some people think that this boy should be sent home and formally warned and his parents summoned to school. That punishment is not enough and rusticating a student is like a holiday for him. Sometimes students are rusticated and their parents are not aware. The parents are absorbed in their work, the student stays at home to receive the letter of rustication addressed to his parents, destroys it and the trick is done. The next day he is seen on the school premises, but not in class.’

The psychologist says that ways of behaviour of students also depends on the present education system that breathes perpetual competition which is a form of violence in disguise.

“There is also a marked erosion of our values like respect, tolerance, humility and compromise.

The fact that parents are not playing their expected role as parents is worsening the situation,” she says.

Meanwhile, a Deputy Rector says there is a general misunderstanding of the idea of freedom among the students lot.

“Freedom without discipline is a dangerous thing. There is a lack of goals and direction on the part of the students and there are spoilt children who feel that they can do whatever they want,” he explains.

The Deputy Rector adds that the school represents the law and authority and discipline in schools is subjective to each and every establishment. It depends on how these schools want to maintain discipline on their premises. To maintain discipline, teachers should be able to earn the respect of their students and propose a platform for dialogue to lend an attentive ear to the problems faced by students, whether personal or family.