Ragging: Punitive panel to help curb menace in MP schools

From next academic session, all the government schools and private schools under Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education will have a disciplinary committee and an anti-ragging cell.

From next academic session, all the government schools and private schools under Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education will have a disciplinary committee and an anti-ragging cell.

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According to the latest circular of the department of school education, all divisional joint directors (JDs) of the department and district education officers (DEOs) have been asked to ensure that all schools have a disciplinary and an anti-ragging cell.

District education officer, Indore, Kishore Shinde said the step has been taken to curb the menace of raging at school-level, as well as to sensitise schoolchildren who are about to enter colleges about the evil of raging.

Describing ragging as a shameful act, the department has also directed JDs and DEOs to continuously monitor activities at every level and ensure that strict action is taken against those who are involved in ragging.

Shinde said the directives have been given to form a five-member disciplinary committee at school-level to monitor ragging in and outside the school campuses.

The panel will include the principal of the respective schools as head of the panel with two senior teachers and two meritorious students as members. At divisional-level, DEOs will constitute anti-ragging cell in every development block, these will include principal of the ‘school of excellence’ and higher secondary school and development block education officer. One member will be nominated as chairperson of the cell on seniority basis.

About how the disciplinary committee will work at school-level, Shinde said according to the order, the respective school principals have been asked to instruct and warn students about evil of ragging at the time of morning assembly. Besides, directives to curb ragging menace will be painted on notice boards.

He added that if any student is in the crime and if the disciplinary committee gets a complaint, the school principal must act immediately and inform guilty students parents and ensure stern action is taken against those involved in ragging.