Education experts and NGO preparing a model code of conduct for school students

Updated on: Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Senior education experts and non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Pune and Mumbai are preparing a model code of conduct for school students. With teachers constantly complaining about student misbehaving in classrooms, the code is being designed taking into consideration some of the existing models in the US and European schools.

The model will consist of what a school expects from students inside classrooms and out-of-school behaviour and punishment in case of violation of any of these rules. The group will be presenting the first draft of this model to state education minister Rajendra Darda and minister of state for education Fauzia Khan on November 28 in Mumbai at a high-level meeting of educationists.

Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, who conceived this model with the help of other experts and organisations said, "We have done quite a bit of research before finalizing the rules in the code of conduct. We have even studied what is followed in Europe and the US and what is the strategy they have developed to make sure students behave. Although, the situation in India and other countries is different, the research was only done to find out the punishments and levels of misbehaviour."

Kalpande said that during their informal meetings with NGOs, teachers and experts, complaints kept pouring in about how students were arrogant while interacting with teachers, how they even go to the level of abusing and quarrelling with them and even get involved in fights with other students.

"Corporal punishments have been banned, in such a case teachers are helpless and have no option but to bear students' misbehaviour. The teachers can complain to the parents about the student's misbehaviour in class, but that does not help if the students are habitual offenders," Kalpande said.

In the model prepared by Kalpande and his group, various types of misbehaviours that are commonly observed have been categorized into tolerable, highly intolerable and unacceptable misbehaviour. For example untidy uniforms, reporting late to school, and ignoring homework comes in the tolerable category where teachers can inform parents to take corrective measures.

Those in the highly intolerable category include: irregular attendance, fights between students, eve-teasing among others. In such cases, parents can be called to school and they can be explained about the student's misbehaviour and be warned. They could also be taken to counselors, if needed.

The third category, which is of the highest level, includes students carrying weapons to school which may prove harmful to other students, threatening teachers in person, abusing them on social networking sites among others.

"We are also taking opinion of the police on what could possibly be the punishment devised for students whose behaviour falls in the third category. It is a very sensitive issue and needs to be dealt with in a proper manner," Kalpande said.

Reshma Nair, a school teacher said, "Every student is given a hand book by our school which clearly states how students must behave in schools and what is expected of them. However, students tend to forget about it and they behave the way they want to. Sometimes, it becomes intolerable but we have to bear with them or at the most complain to the parents, but that does not always help. Hence, a code of conduct is of prime importance so that students know that they will be punished if they misbehave."

Sudhir Kane, principal of a city school, said, "When we go out on excursions, students tend to forget that they need to maintain discipline and it's difficult to control them then. This code of conduct will definitely help in such cases as well."

Education experts and NGO preparing a model code of conduct for school students

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