A group of former DGPs who attended a brainstorming session organised by Malayala Manorama on the rise in illegal drug use and violence in Kerala recommended societal support for teachers to save the new generation from substance abuse.

Past generations feared and respected their teachers, but the situation has now changed. Most teachers are scared of their students. They are often ridiculed or assaulted while censuring students. Instances of teachers facing legal cases are also not rare.

A few teachers share their experiences:

Shocking response to advice
I teach at a higher secondary school on the outskirts of Changanassery town. I am yet to recover from the mental trauma caused by threats issued by the male friends of a few female students.

The incident occurred two years ago. Two bike-borne youths used to pick up many girl students after school daily. I knew that one of them was facing narcotics and assault cases.

I advised the girls to avoid them. Their reply was shocking: "Why don't you mind your business?"

I informed their parents and later learned that the girls used to leave home on holidays under the pretext of special classes and laboratory sessions to meet these men.

The day after I informed their parents, I was walking home when the students and their companions came on two loud bikes and kept circling me. They left only when another vehicle appeared on the road. Since that day, I have never intervened in those two students' matters. I had advised them because I considered them my own children.

— A woman teacher who did not wish to be identified.

Indelible scars in the mind
October 27, 2023, was the day I realised that I am a failed teacher. I was then teaching at the Government Higher Secondary School in Perassannur, Malappuram in my neighbourhood.

I was the convenor of the school's Discipline Committee. One day, I questioned a student who was loitering around the rooms where rehearsals for the arts festival were being held. His brash response led me to take him to the principal's room. While being reprimanded there, he assaulted me.

He twisted my left hand, leaving me with a dislocated shoulder. Even after I fell, the attack continued. He stomped on my stomach and head after pushing away other teachers who tried to intervene.

I had injuries all over my body, but the scars in my mind will never heal. I later took a transfer from the school. Based on my experience, I can say with certainty that teachers are afraid to intervene when students go astray. They fear being implicated in cases under the POCSO Act if they discipline or cane students. This has led to the present situation.

— Kundilcholayil Sajeesh, Perassannur, Kuttippuram

Unforgettable incident
The most unforgettable incident — which I wish I could forget — occurred on March 6, 2019. I can't even forget the date.

I was assaulted for questioning a Plus-One student at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kumali, Idukki, for not wearing the uniform. I had to undergo prolonged medical treatment in Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram. I now teach at the Government Higher Secondary School in Mithrummala, Thiruvananthapuram.

— Dr S Jayadevan, Pothencode, Thiruvananthapuram

Morphed photo? Keep mum!
The incident happened in October–November last year. A few Plus-One students circulated morphed pictures of their female classmates on social media. The girls' parents complained to the police through school authorities, leading to the suspension of five students.

The parents of one of the accused entered into a verbal spat with the teachers, demanding the revocation of the suspension. After this incident, the teachers stopped intervening in any student-related matters except academics.

— A higher secondary school teacher in Idukki

A suicide threat
It took much effort to change the mind of a student who threatened to die by suicide and hold a teacher responsible in the death note. The threat came after the teacher refused to sign the student's record book.

The year was 2018, and I was the principal of the Model School in Thiruvananthapuram. A student submitted his record book to a female teacher without attending practicals. She refused to sign it, citing his absence.

The student then threatened to jump off the school building and blamed the teacher for his possible death. The terrified teacher informed me of the issue. I summoned the student and talked him into changing his mind. Later, I made him submit his record book after he had attended the practicals.

— TS Salim, Kurichy, Kottayam

Threat to life, and a case
The incident occurred two years ago. A 10th-class student at an aided school near Pathanamthitta created a series of disciplinary issues. As the headmistress, I was forced to take action against him.

When I spoke to him, he retaliated with profanities. The student even threatened to kill me when told that he would be given a transfer certificate. Eventually, he was expelled and joined another school. In response, he filed a case against me.

I had to follow up on the case with the Child Rights Commission for about two years. There was external intervention in the case. Later, I learned that the same student had gotten involved in several other incidents. Some people prefer to blame the school and teachers rather than allowing them to guide students in the right direction whenever an issue arises.

— A headmistress in Pathanamthitta

If the rod was not spared...
This incident occurred when I was the headmaster of a government-run lower primary school. A student was given a small punishment for his wayward behaviour in class. The next day, the boy's grandfather visited the school and verbally abused the teacher. It happened when I was not present.

Years later, in 2022, after my retirement, I went to a nearby government high school to deliver the Reading Day message. I noticed NCC and Student Police Cadets chasing someone.

While in the school's office, I saw policemen walking in. I then noticed a student crouching in one corner. I was told that he had been caught possessing and using banned substances.

I was shocked to realise that he was the same primary school student whose grandfather had abused teachers and tried to assault me years ago.

— Thomas Thundiyath, Koodal, Pathanamthitta