Experts write to TN minister over suicide of students

Experts Complained that private institutions 'enjoy total freedom' without any monitoring by concerned child rights agencies

Over 20 educationists have written to School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi expressing concern over the increasing number of deaths of school students in Tamil Nadu and complaining that the school activity is reduced to ensure attainment of literacy and numeracy competence with scant respect for child’s welfare.

The letter signed by Prof V Vasanthi Devi, a former vice-chancellor, Prof C Lakshmanan and Prince Gajendrababu among others said the School Education Department and the Social Welfare Department have equal responsibility to monitor the schools for ensuring the welfare of the children thereby protecting their rights.

“We understand that there is no coordination between these two departments and the entire school activity is reduced to ensure the attainment of literacy and numeracy competence with scant respect for the child’s welfare. Consumer concept of education affects the children in many ways,” they said.

Complaining that private institutions “enjoy total freedom” without any monitoring by concerned child rights agencies, the educationists said this has resulted in the deaths of children studying in various institutions.

The sexual abuse that happens in campus is being treated as an individual affair with no responsibility for the management, they said, adding that any offence perpetrated on the child in the institution by the people associated with the institution is an institutional crime.

Referring to the death of a 16-year-old girl in Kallakurichi, the educationists alleged that the case is being handled both by the School Education Department and the Police Department in a “very casual manner without any sensitivity.”

“Except for a visit by SCPCR – TN followed by NCPCR, no other agency under the Social Welfare Department visited the school. Closely examining the sequence of events as narrated by the management of the school, a strong suspicion arises about the death of the child. There is a strong suspicion that the child might have been subjected to severe sexual abuse,” they said.

The experts also asked the government to appoint a special officer to administer the school, keeping the management at bay. “We firmly believe that the delay or complacency on the part of the School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu will jeopardize the investigation in progress by various government agencies,” they added.