Gujarat, India-At a time when Gujarat is being recognized as the safest haven for the fair sex and fighting tooth and nail to control female foeticide, the incidence of teachers raping their girl students inside the Primary Teacher’s Training College (PTC) of Patan is being seen as the most brazen act that could ever happen in the history of this fast developing state.
An 18-year-old student of this college has alleged that her teachers gangraped her several times in lieu of favouring her with internal marks. The girl belonging to a poor family surrendered in front of the teachers as she thought that even slight opposition would ruin her career and her family reputation.
A lady teacher, Bharati Patel revealed this for the first time in 1997, but she was transferred immediately. She returned to the college a few months ago and found that this has been continuing for the last ten years. She once again complained about the matter to the principal and 98 other girl students have also come out with their experiences of sexual abuse. But, before the government’s action, the girls brought their parents to the college who beat up the teachers to find justice in their own way. The six teachers alleged with sexual abuse have been suspended and female teachers have been recruited with immediate effect.
But, the question is that Is the system of internal evaluation in colleges necessary? This is a very old system followed in colleges, which was in one way to help the students in scoring reasonably good marks on the whole. But, this has always been subject to criticism due to the attitude of the teachers, favouring some and disfavoring others. Besides, it has also been an easy tool in the hands of male teachers to take sexual favours from their girl students. In this case, the students were evaluated for 1,500 marks, out of which 600 marks were to be given by the teachers. It is for these internal marks that the girls (trapped mostly from poor social backgrounds) fell prey to the flesh-eaters.
Apart from that, the said college is conducting this course for several colleges and universities so much so that B.ed students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) are also sent to this college for their training. There are several other universities which must be having the same kind of agreement. Looking into this situation, it is necessary to conduct teacher’s training courses in the respective colleges themselves. This will avoid lot of abuse being faced by students.
Our education system is changing very rapidly to suit the global demands. Most of the schools have started with the grade system in primary classes to begin with. Indira Gandhi Open University has been evaluating its students on a grade basis since its beginning. Therefore, internal marking is not required for assessing the qualifications or abilities of a future teacher. He or she should be given a final exam and score on the basis of his or her merit. Moreover, only a qualified teacher scoring merit marks can prove to be a good teacher in future as well. The girls should have been bold enough to come out with the truth in the first instance. At least these ugly sexual acts would not have continued for one whole decade and also may have saved 98 other girls from experiencing sexual exploitation.
The security measures should also be implemented properly to check the misconduct of both, teachers and students. The education department should assure that the teachers being appointed in this college have clean backgrounds, are honest and committed to their profession. This incident has blemished the pious relationship of guru-shishya tradition followed in India for the last several centuries. After, this incident no girl will ever rely on her male teacher whatever the age be. The girls in turn should rely on their personal strengths and abilities instead falling prey to the ruthless demands of their teachers. After all, it is the girl who loses in both ways.
Padma Bhargav is a freelance journalist. She can be reached at: padma.bhargav@gmail.com
