Web StoriesJharkhand School Sends Girls Home Without Shirts: Culture Of Harassment In Schools?
What happens when a moment of joy and celebration ends with immense humiliation? This is what happened with almost 100 girls of Class 10 at a private school in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. These girls were celebrating Pen Day (a tradition in many schools), writing messages on each other’s shirts to celebrate their friendships and school life, when the school Principal, disapproving of this activity, allegedly asked the girls to take off their shirts. Instead of leaving the school with smiles and laughter, the girls were reportedly told to leave only in their blazers. This incident has triggered outrage and questions about a culture of intimidation and harassment in schools.
What went wrong?
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There’s no harm in a little celebration. Schools are supposed to be places for students’ overall development and bonding with peers. Celebrating their achievements is a part of that development. But in this case, the alleged actions of the school principal have sparked outrage.
According to reports, the girls were told to remove their shirts as a form of punishment for celebrating Pen Day in this fashion. The principal reportedly didn’t approve of this activity. According to reports, the girls cried and apologised to the principal but she didn’t change her stance.
Due to the outrage that followed the incident, a four-member committee has been formed to probe the matter. However, the principal has denied instructing the students to strip, claiming they were simply asked to leave in proper uniform. But, whether the principal ordered the shirt removal or not, this was a clear abuse of power, an act that disregarded the dignity and emotional well-being of the students.
The investigation will eventually provide clarity, but this incident raises important questions about the role of authority in educational institutions.
The problem goes deeper
Forcing young girls to remove their shirts as a form of punishment crosses every imaginable boundary. It is not just inappropriate – it is harassment, plain and simple. Schools are supposed to be spaces where students feel safe and protected. Instead, these girls were subjected to an act that humiliated them in front of their peers and violated their sense of security.
But this is not an isolated incident, moral policing and harassment of students especially female students is quite the norm in schools. How many times have we been embarrassed or intimidated for trivial acts of fun? It’s as if the very idea of students enjoying their time in school has become an afterthought. So, the harassment of students is not new but the extreme it has reached is.
The girls of the school in Dhanbad deserved a day of celebration and camaraderie. What they received instead was trauma from harassment and intimidation that they will carry with them for years to come.
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