Adi Dravida schools set up ?expression box'

Updated on: Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Shanta's problems at home could not be shared with anyone, including her mother. But now she has found a channel to express herself in school, through the ‘expression box' placed in front of the headmaster's office.

Some Adi Dravida Welfare (ADW) Schools in Chennai and a few other districts have provided a forum for students to vent out their anger and make suggestions to improve the conditions in school. ‘Karuthu suthanthirappetti' was recently placed in these schools as part of the students' human rights club that was launched by the Institute of Human Rights Education.

From eve-teasing incidents to family problems to stress, the expression boxes at the schools are getting letters on a range of issues. Students of classes VI to VIII can pour their hearts out in the expression box. In a school in Pilanthipattu, near Arakkonam, the management received nearly 300 letters in three days.

Suganya, a class VII student of the ADW School in Moulivakkam, is eagerly waiting for the expression box to be installed in her school. “I can maintain anonymity after redressing my grievance through the expression box, so I would feel free to express myself without fearing anyone,” she says. The school plans to put up the expression box soon.

S. Manikandan, a class VII student at the ADW middle school in Polur, Tiruvannamalai sought better toilet facilities in his school, and wanted Republic Day celebration to be conducted.

There are also positive feedbacks received in the box. “One note read that the chart work given to students in the science class has improved their drawing skills,” said P. Tamilvanan, a teacher of Polur School.

Interestingly, it was a student who prompted the expression box to be set up in Polur. Mr. Tamilvanan said a student, M. Rajasekar, got a cardboard box for the school. In another school, a student who was on the verge of committing suicide wrote about her predicament on a piece of paper and the teacher went to her house and discussed the issue with her parents.

The box is emptied and the notes are sorted out everyday. The positive comments and feedback are read out in class. Major concerns are kept aside and discussed with the students, family or people concerned, if necessary on a one-to-one basis.

A log book of all the comments with the date and students' names, if given, is maintained by schools. “We verify the authenticity of the message, discuss with students and if necessary intervene or counsel the student,” said P. Kirubakaran, a teacher at the school in Pilanthipattu.

“The IHRE and the students club will keep track of the schools and ensure that the boxes are checked regularly,” says Shiyam Sundar, coordinator IHRE.

Adi Dravida schools set up ?expression box'

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