Freedom with Responsibility at School
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| Illustration by ChatGPT |
A 14-year-old girl, student
of grade 9, was raped and killed by her own boyfriend of grade 11 a few weeks
back in Kerala. Reason: suspicion and jealousy. The boy thought that the girl
had another boyfriend as well. This is not an isolated incident. Heinous crimes
are on a rapid rise in schools.
Just a few days back, The Hindu
reported
that “New cases of HIV among those in the 15–24-year age group, which was 9% in
2022, had risen to 14.2% in 2024. This figure was 15.4% between April and
October in 2025.”
Sex is not a crime. But it is
undesirable, particularly in schools, when it shifts from being age-appropriate
education about human development to behaviour that disrupts safety, consent,
dignity, and the primary purpose of schooling.
Zachariah is one of the finest contemporary
writers in Malayalam. Speaking at the First M T Vasudevan Nair Memorial Lecture
a few weeks back, Zachariah drew his audience’s attention to the tremendous
progress made by the girls in the state at various levels. There is an
unparalleled surge of girls in the state towards higher education, competitive
exams, foreign scholarships, and careers in all walks of life. Muslim girls are
conspicuously in the frontline in this regard. Malayali girls are shattering patriarchy
and its strictures as well as structures at a breathtaking momentum. Both boys
and girls together have given birth to a new society in the state, says Zachariah.
It’s a beautiful emergence of a new humanity.
I have presented two sides
of the same coin above. It is indeed heartening to see the new gen creating a
new humanity that rises above the parochialism of not only patriarchy but also
religions. But not all the youngsters seem to be able to handle their newfound
freedom with responsibility. Teaching that responsibility is a supreme duty of
schools now.
As a person who was teaching youngsters
till a few months back, I noticed that what Zachariah appreciates as the
emergence of a new humanity lacked the depth that should actually sustain it.
The boys and girls cooperated with each other in the creation of this new social
reality only because they didn’t want the restrictions of the former system
with its various orthodoxies provided by patriarchy and religions. They shirked
off the restrictions. But they failed to take on certain inevitable ethical responsibilities.
Consequently, the new social reality they created lacked any depth. The
youngsters achieved success in exams and careers, but not in personal life.
Schools now speak of life
skills. Both the WHO and UNICEF have long defined core life skills such as critical
thinking, decision-making, empathy, communication, coping with stress, and
interpersonal skills. Yet in most Indian classrooms, these remain peripheral.
Let us find remedies for this
situation.
Schools must admit explicitly that
their goal is not merely examination success but competent, ethical,
emotionally resilient citizens. Schools should shift their focus from marks to
mastery, value process over product, and recognise emotional and social growth
alongside academics.
Life skills cannot be ‘taught’ in isolation.
They must be woven into subjects. Literature can nurture empathy, ethical
reasoning, and perspective-shaping. [Perspective was one of my favourite words
in the classroom so much so some students started shouting “perspective” as the
answer to many of my questions.] Science projects can develop collaboration and
problem-solving. History discussions can cultivate critical thinking and media literacy.
These are just a few examples. There’s a lot more that schools can and must do.
We speak so much about holistic
education. But it remains just there: in noble speeches and elegant prefaces.
It should be translated into action.
Education must move from producing
successful exam-takers to nurturing thoughtful human beings.
PS. This is the 11th post in an ongoing
series. You can access the other posts below.
Education and Making the Human
Syllabus: Where More Becomes the Enemy of Learning
Language and Politics of Exclusion
Teacher
Training or is it Taming?
Teaching
Values in a Country of Gimmicks
Tall Order for the present. My father educated all his children. And once he was heard telling my mother. " We have educated our children. They, I am sure will do the right thing, when the occasion demands." Evidently, his sense of RIGHT was not about the Career of his children. Not about Jobs, but about Human Maturing. One subconscious motive, why I have distanced myself from teaching in the semnaries is that I perceived an ongoing, unexpressed deal between the teachers and students to stand at a mediocre level in teaching and studying, say in the formative process, that there was a tacit understanding that was mutual, not to strive after excellence. Just please each other...
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