News
Student-teacher relationships strained after clashes reported across the island
Teachers at Dewananda College in Ambalangoda engaged in a protest on Monday over the alleged assault on the principal.
Astring of incidents has been reported around the country on conflicts between teachers and students affecting the teacher-student relationship and education outcomes.
This week, a parent was produced in court by the Ambalangoda Police over an alleged assault on the Principal of Ambalangoda Sri DevanandaVidyalaya, and was remanded until June 30.
The assault took place over an issue with the school’s badminton team. Police investigations have uncovered that the suspect’s son played both badminton and cricket in school. The reported dispute arose after he decided to give up badminton due to economic hardships.
The suspect alleged the teacher-in-charge of the badminton team had assaulted his son. He then allegedly attacked the principal in protest against inaction over that incident.
“Clashes may also arise when a teacher’s paradigm contradicts a student’s deep-rooted beliefs,” said Principals’ Union Secretary Mohan Parakrama Weerasinghe. “We also see this as a result of parents’ detachment from school and a general decline in moral values. These incidents in our opinion point to the need for meaningful change in education,” he added.
Principal Weerasinghe suggested modern, practical ways for students to be encouraged to pursue their interests, including developing knowledge and skills to succeed in areas they were passionate about. These approaches would help promote discipline.
Increasing disputes were also rising owing to social decline, he added.
“The role of a teacher is substantial in a student’s life. Parents have lost faith in the education system. When problems arise, parents work out the complications without exacerbating the situation,” said Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe.
He said his union is speaking with the principals’ union and other relevant education sector organisations to help devise methods to reduce clashes. Political views can also have a strong influence over individual attitudes and beliefs, in turn affecting behaviours, he added.
“Existing socio-economic problems also directly contribute to conflicts between parents and schools,” said Ven. Divithure Samantha Thera, Deputy Principal of Lumbini Vidyalaya.
“Our school holds awareness programmes for students and teachers every Monday. We also conduct programmes for parents,” he said.
“Covid-19 has forced many changes in society. Teacher stress, distance learning and teachers confined to remote teaching have been the primary causes of such unfortunate scenarios,” said an Education Ministry official.
“Moreover, with the ongoing social situation, teachers are inclined to be mechanical, which can increase disconnection between them and their students. The Ministry intends to address such issues and create solutions to manage teacher-student conflicts through teacher development programmes,” he added.
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