By Kanu Sarda, IANS
New Delhi : Teenagers tend to succumb to violence as they are at a crucial point in life when they are coming to terms with their own hormonal changes, increased study load as well as peer pressure, say counsellors after two teenagers shot dead their classmate in an upscale Gurgaon school Tuesday.
The real issue is not about teenage violence, but about the social structure within which teenagers are fast losing the capacity to cope with stress and frustration.
“Violence is a symptom of the issue, not the issue,” said, Reena Sehgal, counsellor of the capital’s Bal Bharti School.
“Teenagers are at a point in life when they’re coming to terms with hormonal changes, their first heterosexual relationships, studies and peer pressure. They need assistance to cope with life. Yet we have no support systems in place,” said Sehgal.
A Class 8 student of Euro International School in Gurgaon’s Sector 45, close to the national capital, was allegedly shot dead by two classmates over a personal dispute Tuesday afternoon.
According to Geetanjali Kumar, counsellor at Hansraj Model School, it is necessary to inculcate “positive life skills” in children like avoiding violent TV programmes and video games.
“I have come across cases of anger very often among students. The anger is such that they can do anything like banging their head on the wall, tearing their clothes and such activities,” said Kumar.
Teenage violence isn’t evident only in the ultimate physical act of killing. It manifests itself in forms that ravage the mind though leaving the body unharmed, said K.K. Aggarwal, a visiting counsellor at a government school.
“We live in times where wrong questions are often asked. Recently a boy who was eating pizza he had brought from home in the school bus was set upon by a group of seniors. They took away his pizza and smeared the sauce on his face. When the boy’s parents complained to the principal, the principal’s first question was, ‘What did he do to provoke them?’ One is so immune to violence today, that as long as one can find a reason for it, it’s accepted,” added Aggarwal.
Gurgaon Police Commissioner, Mahendra Lal, blames TV and the media for the increasing violence among children.
“Television and films play a role in immunising children to violence. Constant exposure to violence, whether in fight sequences or war telecasts, de-sensitise children to acts that might otherwise have turned their stomachs,” Lal said.
“Children think that violence is the best way, or the only way, to solve problems. Besides, ever since schools have cut down on sports and physical activities, there are fewer options for children to channelise their physical energy. So, they end up hitting out at the world,” said Geetanjali Kumar.
“With the emphasis on ‘individualism’, a concept borrowed from the US, Indian children seem to be heading the way of American teenagers, which is damaging for Indian society,” added Aggarwal.
Teachers echoed the need of including moral science as a compulsory subject in the curriculum.
Child counsellor Maya Kripalani said that teachers can help by reorienting a part of the school curricula towards moral science, which can be taught through role play.
“Studies show that if an aggressive child is given gentle roles to play, over time it helps tone down the aggression,” she said.
The Delhi High Court recently urged the need of appointing counsellors in every school to combat the increasing stress and strain among students.