Last Updated on April 26, 2024 by News Desk
The Madras High Court has directed State authorities to establish a Monitoring Committee in each school to ensure strict implementation of the Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment in Schools (GECP) provided by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The committees can be headed by school principals, parents, teachers, and senior students. The committees must ensure that the guidelines are implemented scrupulously and any untoward incidents or different behavior of staff members and children are brought to the notice of the authorities.
The court clarified that not only corporal punishment but also any indirect form of harassment of children in schools must be eliminated. It directed the State to communicate the guidelines to all schools and ask district educational authorities to sensitize those on the ground to follow the guidelines to protect the mental health of school children.
The court passed the directions in a petition seeking implementation of the NCPCR guidelines. It noted that corporal punishment is completely unacceptable and prohibited under Section 17(1) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
The court emphasized that children should be inspired by respectful and dignified conduct of adults and that controlling the child with unjustifiable measures will serve no purpose and do more harm than good.
The court listed the matter for compliance on June 14, and the consolidated Circular/Instructions are directed to be issued within five weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
