Need of the hour -23
Graffiti, A silent menace in schools
-J.P.Bharathi
Educational institutions have various issues which are major concerns to the Principal, Counselors, Teachers and Parents.
One such issue is Graffiti. Graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, sprayed illicitly on the walls in public places.
Students indulge in graffiti which is a silent cause for suffering among the sensitive kids. This generally goes unnoticed and comes to light only when the school authorities inspect the walls and premises of the institutions.
Graffiti intends to disturb a section of students. The reason behind graffiti is to silently enrage the modesty of others in the school campuses. It sounds and means to hurt few children and does not give any kind of indications to identify the victims. The offending students also do not get caught in many a situations.
Graffiti generally occupies few private corners and isolated areas in the schools like wash rooms and rest rooms.
The school authorities should be vigilant and keep interacting with the students. There should be drop boxes where the students can silently drop the names of the offenders. Counseling should also be done in such a way, where the offenders realize their mistake and get reformed. In certain times, the school authorities should help the parents contact only on phone, mails or whatsApp to update these issues. If not the offenders can try to target the students and the parents for reporting these issues. This will help the weak students to gather confidence and balance themselves. The school authorities should act like a potter. They should be in a position to repair the conditions from both the sides and help the students. Schools should also devise such activities where the students get involved physically and mentally, so that it creates self esteem among students and enable them to improve their value systems.
Moral values should be tactfully and convincingly imparted so that the students come out of their wrong doings.
Schools should also maintain high level of confidentiality, because the one who reports the problem is surely going to get victimized.
If these issues are not addressed at the right time, they tend to have negative impressions on the Childs development, leaving him as an introvert and a pessimistic child. Sometimes they can be as deadly as the students will have withdrawal symptoms and suicidal tendencies. The reforming strategies should be like, spare the rod and also not spoil the child.
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