100 Sit-Ups For Being Late: Why Are Such Harsh Punishments Still Common In Schools?

At Bapuji High School in the Patnagarh area of Bolangir district in Odisha,  seven girls allegedly fell unconscious after they were made to do 100 sit-ups by their teacher as punishment for reaching the school late. Reportedly,a teacher identified as Bikash Dharua forced the students to do 100 sit-ups after the morning prayer session was over.

Due to the punishment, a few students fell unconscious and had to be taken in an ambulance to Patnagarh Sub-Divisional Hospital. The Patnagarh Sub-Divisional Medical Officer told the media that they were not in a good condition when they reached the hospital but with preliminary treatment, they recovered.

Students Unconscious After Punishment In Odisha School

On April 11, the School and Mass Education Minister of Odisha, Samir Ranjan Dash ordered a probe into the incident. Dash told India Today, "I have directed Patnagarh Community Education Officer Shankar Prasad Majhi to carry out a probe into the case of punishment to some girl students at Bapuji High School in Patnagarh area of Bolangir."

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The Times of India report stated that at least 11 girls lost their consciousness during the course of the punishment, out of which seven had to be rushed to hospital by the school authorities.

After the punishment, the girls were sent back to their classroom, where seven of the students felt uneasy and later became unconscious. Few of them were immediately provided oxygen support after reaching the hospital. The doctor, who was treating the students, said that the students were experiencing breathlessness on arrival.

This is not an isolated incident of teachers assaulting or harassing students in the name of punishment. Earlier this month a teacher in Jammu & Kashmir physically assaulted girl students over wearing hijab and tilak to school, following which he was suspended from work and booked by the police. A principal in Uttar Pradesh was caught on camera dangling a student off the building for being naughty.

Harsh punishment like these do become headlines and a talking point for some days but it hardly comes as surprise to most people living in India as they have witnessed it first-hand while growing up. To beat, slap or harass was taken as the teachers' way of straightening a child. Most children were discouraged from raising their voices and conditioned to obey their teacher's orders instead.

The immediate question that arises in a child's head when they are punished is- whom to complain to and will it be taken seriously or just lead to increased and more targeted abuse in the classroom. The other important source is parents. Growing up in the 90s, we have seen many parents normalise the beating by teachers through narrations of how they used to have it worse and that eventually, it was for a greater good.

Encouraging student abuse in the name of discipline is deeply problematic and yet it is largely accepted in India until an incident puts a child's health in danger or is caught on camera. It is not okay for a teacher to put a student through such harassment. No, parents should not be telling the teachers that it is okay for them to slap a student if they are unable to learn something.

This kind of violence has been normalised for generations and we are often told that we'll laugh about them at reunions when we grow up. But what about the indelible scars that such abuse leave a young mind with? How is it fair to burden a child's mind with memories of this traumatic experience, the scars of which they'll carry on for years? Don't such punishments also cause students to feel resentful about the education system and their schools?

Schools are places to attain education, develop a sense of community and grow individually. Which of these aspects do harsh punishments help with? The answer is none.

Views expressed are author's own.