Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 13: After repeated instances of bullying and ragging in schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a 10-point guideline to curb the menace with immediate effect in its affiliated schools across the state.
The CBSE has asked all schools to prominently display the message “Bullying is strictly prohibited inside school premises and no such act will go unnoticed or unpunished”. This should be mentioned in the school prospectus and other guidelines circulated by the school.
Schools must come up with a development and review plan for prevention of school bullying. They should also ensure implementation of bullying prevention programmes including developing training programmes for staff, students, and parents. Schools should be vigilant in observing the signs of bullying and respond quickly and the names and contact numbers of members of the anti-ragging committee should be clearly displayed across the school premises.
According to the guidelines, schools should arrange counsellors for primary, middle, secondary and senior secondary school. The CBSE has viewed occurrence of acts of bullying and ragging as more probable in residential schools for which counsellors and wardens should be sensitised to the changing dynamics of student interaction. They should be empathetic and approachable so that students can confide in them, the CBSE said.
The council will also ensure sensitisation of the students about human rights, democratic values, respect for diversity and equality, and respect for privacy and dignity of others. The schools must take initiatives to conduct activities to educate and develop the understanding of students, staff and parents about the problems and effects of bullying.
The role of parents must be reinforced in parent-teacher meetings and in various other school committees. There is a need for orientation and sensitisation of the community and parents should also be oriented, the guidelines stated. The council has recommended that there be a graded response system to address cases of bullying, and a clear-cut process be followed by schools as there might be cases which deserve utmost attention and stringent action. There will be oral or written warnings for violators, resulting in possible suspension from attending classes or school for a specified period, withholding or cancelling of results, imposition of fines up to a specified amount, expulsion from school in rarest of rare cases, and also options of transferring a student from one school to another school.
The CBSE has also asked to engage all students, teaching and non-teaching staff and parents in campaigns against bullying on a continual basis, as part of the moral and administrative fabric of the school.
