By IANS
New Delhi : Keeping in mind the recent school shootout in Gurgaon, parents and teachers should stop blaming one another for their wards going astray and resorting to violence, said experts gathered here to deliberate on the issue.
“We had read about shootouts in US schools, but were immune to such developments in India. But the Gurgaon school incident is an eye-opener for all of us. I think both parents and teachers should step in to curb its growth here,” said Venita Kaul, senior educational specialist with the World Bank.
Kaul said this kind of aggressive behaviour was not witnessed 10 years ago. “Alienation, anger, aggression and access to weapons are bringing about this change. We need to be sensitive towards students and the signs of violence,” she said.
Security and educational experts were speaking at a conference here titled ‘Lessons from Gurgaon Shootout – Call for redrafting India’s Gun Legislation’.
In the Gurgaon shooting, Class 8 student Abhishek Tyagi of Euro International School was shot dead Dec 11 by two of his classmates in apparent retaliation for his bullying.
K.K. Vashisht, professor with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), said: “While schools have failed to provide qualities that help students in all-round development, parents are busy in their work. Violence on television too is contributing to such aggression among students.”
“The value of nurturing at school and at home is missing in our society now,” Vashisht said.
P. Dutta, principal of a Kendriya Vidyalaya, said: “The Gurgaon shootout is an act of revenge. The teachers and the boy’s families failed to recognise the signs of violence and what was happening inside school. We need to control depression, anger and group fighting among students both at school level and at home.”
Security expert Air Commodore Prashant Dikshit said: “The Gurgaon incident should open the eyes of our schools, parents and the government too. Illegal arms are available in and around the national capital and anyone can access it. Why are we so insincere in taking note of this?”
“Cheap small firearms are a threat to civil society and the illegal movement of these weapons needs urgent attention,” he added.