Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 18
From eve-teasing to the paucity of classrooms and teachers, all such issues were highlighted by students during the first Baal Adalat (moot court) at Government Senior Secondary School in Maloya here today. The event was organised by the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR).
Puja, a student, highlighted the problem of eve-teasing. She said coming to the school had become a challenge for her and other students due to eve-teasers.
“Boys start chasing us after we leave the school. We fear that if we complain at home, then our parents will stop sending us to the school. Eve-teasing forces us to abandon studies,” complained Puja.
Students acting as judges summoned the school authorities and asked what action had they taken against such anti-social elements.
The school authorities maintained that the police were deployed outside the school to keep the Romeos at bay. Chanchal Singh, who was posing as defence counsel, appealed to the girls to call at 181 helpline in case of any harassment.
However, a student requesting anonymity said they were being teased at the school but due to societal pressure and the fear of dropping the studies midway, they did not take up the issue.
“Check CCTV recordings of the school, you will know the problems faced by girls,” said a student.
Unavailability of books
Rahi, a student of Class XII, raised the issue of the unavailability of textbooks in Punjabi. “I hail from Punjab and wanted to read subjects in my mother tongue but the books are available either in Hindi or English,” said Rahi. Defence counsel Chanchal Singh admitted the problem. He said till Class VIII, textbooks had been translated into Punjabi while the translation work for secondary classes was in progress.
Underage driving
Teachers’ woes
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