Shivani Chaturvedi (Chennai)
Children’s day out: permission directive. Inset: Girija Devi
In mid-December, the Tamil Nadu government introduced new guidelines directing the state’s government, aided and private schools (including CISCE and CBSE) with an aggregate 3.9 million students to obtain prior clearance from government for a range of school activities — field trips, campus events, and guest lectures.
Under the new rules, schools are obliged to plan these and other activities at the start of the academic year to minimise disruptions to classroom teaching-learning. Every school is required to prepare a detailed month-by-month calendar covering events such as annual day celebrations, sports meets, educational tours, camps and lectures by distinguished visitors. Approval for these activities must be obtained in advance from police and state and/or district-level committees. Moreover, school principals must carefully vet chief guests and guest speakers to ensure they have expertise in education and psychology, are capable of engaging students in age-appropriate discussions, and “avoid controversial or unscientific subjects”. According to the director of school education S. Kannappan, educational tours should prioritise destinations such as museums, libraries, planetariums, and historical sites. “For camps involving female students, mothers can accompany their children if they wish, but other relatives will not be allowed,” he adds.
The new guidelines have been introduced in response to recent incidents that highlighted oversight and safety lacunae. Four months ago, a guest speaker made controversial remarks about physically challenged children at two government schools in Chennai, sparking widespread backlash from parents and disability rights advocates. Around the same time, allegations of sexual harassment in NCC (National Cadet Corps) camps caused wide public outrage and calls for stricter protocols. These incidents prompted several School Management Committees (constituted under s.21 of the RTE Act) and parents to demand detailed rules to prevent similar incidents and ensure safer extra-curricular environments for children.
Although most educators have welcomed the government’s cautious approach, some have raised concerns about the additional administrative burden.
Comments D. Girija Devi, principal of Anna Gem Science Park Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai, which has 1,400 students and 70 teachers on its musters: “The state government’s cautious approach following these incidents is welcome. But it will restrict promotion of extra-curricular activities in schools. Too often, events company managers gain access through references, persuading school managements to undertake extra-curricular activities. They had become an unnecessary additional burden for principals.”
To facilitate the process, the education department has compiled a list of approved NGOs, educationists, wellness experts, psychologists etc. This list, says Kannappan, will be shared with school heads to simplify the approval process and encourage “meaningful partnerships” with organisations and individuals who add value to school programs.
However the issuance of these guidelines to private independent schools has set off alarm bells. Private school principals apprehend loss of autonomy to appoint tour organisers, and invite experts and speakers of their choice. They highlight the potential of inclusion of ruling DMK supporters and sympathisers in the pre-approved list circulated by the education ministry.
“School principals are obliged to select visiting speakers and experts from a government approved list. Thus they will not be able to invite education innovators of their choice to offer fresh perspectives. This is serious limitation of the autonomy of private independent schools. Moreover, it will limit students’ exposure to new ideas and innovations, hindering their all-round development,” says Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary of the State Platform for Common School System, Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN).
Quips another private school principal: “Stalin should change his name. Recently, he appointed his son as Deputy Chief Minister. Stalin is transforming into a carbon copy of the original.”
