Context: 

Recently, a private school teacher in Uttar Pradesh is accused of instructing students to physically harm their seven-year-old classmate. 

The incident raises several ethical issues, including:

• Violation of Child Rights in India: Every child in India has the right to a safe and nurturing environment, and this includes protection from physical and emotional abuse. 
  • The teacher’s actions demonstrate a breach of the child’s right to physical and emotional well-being. 
  • This incident highlights the need for schools to prioritize the welfare and rights of their students and ensure that such violations do not occur.
• Loss of Trust in the School: The incident can lead to a significant loss of trust in the school by parents. Parents trust educational institutions to provide a safe and conducive learning environment for their children. 
  • When incidents of abuse or mistreatment occur within the school premises, it erodes this trust. 
  • The educational institutions have a duty to maintain the trust of parents and protect the well-being of their students.
• Promotion of Bullying in School: The teacher’s actions promote bullying within the school environment. 
  • By instructing other students to hit their classmate, the teacher is setting a dangerous precedent. 
  • This not only endangers the physical safety of the child but also normalizes violence and bullying among peers. 
  • Ethically, schools should be places where students learn values such as empathy, respect, and cooperation, and they should actively discourage any form of bullying or violence.

News Source: The Hindu