Chennai teacher's murder: Calm boy at juvenile home counselled

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Educationists feel the present education system with its round-the-year exams is taking its toll on students and it’s time we re-looked at the grim scenario and find an immediate solution.DC talks to stakeholders and puts across their points of view.

The student who allegedly murdered his teacher in the classroom was lodged in the juvenile home on Thursday night.

According to police, the teenager was a little adamant throughout Thursday. “He was lodged in the juvenile home at around 11.30 pm on Thursday and he had two meals in our custody, ” a police officer said.

The boy remained calm on his first day at the juvenile home. His parents had visited him. The counselling for him had already started. At the home too he had his meals without much problem.

“We don’t expect the delinquents to repent their crime immediately. It may take some time through counselling. It is possible he may have a streak of violence in his behavior,” sources said and indicated that scars on his face could be the result of possible violent acts by him or people around him.

The home has three more juvenile killers as inmates. “We treat them as children and not as criminals,” an employee attached to the observation home said.

The 14-year-old boy had stabbed his Hindi teacher, Uma Maheshwari, 40, in the classroom at his school on Armenian Street, Parry’s Corner, on Thursday. The teacher, who suffered multiple stab injuries died on the way to hospital.

Media criticised for coverage of murder case

“My son studying in class 10 went to school on Friday saying ‘hereafter teachers will not yell at students.’ Media has blown the case of the 14 year old murdering his teacher out of proportion.

This is bound to pave way for other students to follow along the same lines,” opined Mr Srinivasan, a parent.

But Mr Ramalingam, another parent, did not agree. “Media played a very fair role in reporting the news. We wouldn’t have known about it otherwise,” he said, while blaming television and cinema for glorifying murder and revenge.

“In my daughter’s school, class teachers counselled students and spoke about moral values. I feel the bond between them has increased now,” said another parent.

Writer and social critic Gnani Sankaran said it has created an opportunity to understand adolescents’ minds.

Academicians root for cbse model

Attributing exam related stress as the main reason for the student murdering his teacher, several faculty members feel the state government must follow CBSE model to make exams optional and prevent students from getting stressed out.

B. Vellayammal, headmistress, government girls high school, Mogappair, said all stakeholders, including parents and teachers, had a role to play in shaping a student’s future. Society has a larger role to play as students face lot of pressure when they get low marks.

“Our education system is result oriented…we want everybody to score 100 per cent in exams which puts a lot of stress on students. School system should be devoid of stressful exams for which the Centre through Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme can make exams optional,” she said.