School is not only a place where students are taught only text books prescribed as per the course curriculum by local school board or central board of secondary education (CBSE) but school is a place where teachers also teach students morality and the basics of human relations particularly respect for elders within and outside the family. While the incidents of harassment to students are noticed in schools across Jammu & Kashmir day in and day out, the incidents about students assaulting teachers are being also witnessed with greater intensity from time to time across Jammu & Kashmir. Both the actions of teachers and as well as the responses of students go against the basic spirits of ages old social fabric of Jammu & Kashmir. The recent incident of an alleged molestation attempt of an Arabic teacher in a school in Hyderpora area of Srinagar city that went viral on social media sites is really heart wrenching and a blow to the sacred profession of teaching in Kashmir. A teacher teaching Arabic is though obliged to inculcate the basic spirit of Islamic teachings among the children but unfortunately the teacher teaching Arabic has allegedly committed an unpardonable offence of trying to molest minor girls in the school where he is responsible for their security and safety. The incident is shocking and highly condemnable which deserves immediate attention and intervention of the Government, the civil society groups and religious preachers for the purposes of a fast track investigation to just ensure that the accused ( Arabic Teacher) if found guilty is stringently punished as per law of the land. Any laxity shown in the investigation of the case by the Government or the civil society groups and religious preachers won’t only lead to occurrence and re-occurrence of such shameful incidents again and again but would also erode faith of people in the institutions of “A teacher” and “ A School”.
“Though introduction of moral education is a long pending demand of the people of Jammu & Kashmir but the Government does not take the demand as much serious as it should have been taken for the purposes of security and safety of the students in schools. Now not only moral education in schools but a verification of the moral antecedents of teachers appointed in Government and private schools by the Police Department has become an unavoidable compulsion for the purposes of security and safety of girl child in school”.
While compromising the investigation of this instant case of immorality would be tantamount to compromising the security and safety of a girl child in schools to which none else than the Prime Minister of the country is concerned a committed, the Government would do a great service to the society if it would make mandatory the verification of the moral antecedents of teachers a part of the verification of the character antecedents of those appointed as teachers in either Government or private schools. Verification of the moral antecedents of teachers by the Police Department before their appointment if declared mandatory would atleast show the moral background of a person appointed as teacher in Government or a private school. Though introduction of moral education is a long pending demand of the people of Jammu & Kashmir but the Government does not take the demand as much serious as it should have been taken for the purposes of security and safety of the students in schools. Now not only moral education in schools but a verification of the moral antecedents of teachers appointed in Government and private schools by the Police Department has become an unavoidable compulsion for the purposes of security and safety of girl child in school.
