R ecent incidents from schools in Chhattisgarh have raised serious concerns about the emotional climate within our education system. Cases where students were subjected to excessive punishment in the name of discipline are not merely isolated lapses—they reflect a deeper issue in how we perceive education and authority in classrooms. In Ambagarh Chowki, a student was reportedly made to perform 100 sit-ups as punishment. Earlier, in Surajpur, a video surfaced showing a child allegedly tied to a tree for not completing homework. In Durg, a nursery student’s mouth was taped. In Raipur, a case was registered for physical assault on two students in a government school. In Surguja, an eight-year-old girl’s health was affected after being forced to do 100 sit-ups. While these incidents may be described as exceptions, their pattern sends a wider message—some learning spaces appear to be drifting away from empathy and emotional sensitivity.

 

The Purpose of Education: Trust, Not Fear Schools are not merely institutions for academic instruction. They are spaces where character, confidence, and moral values are nurtured. When dialogue is replaced by orders and guidance by punishment, the soul of education suffers. Discipline is essential, but discipline built on fear is fragile. Children learn best in an environment of trust. Mistakes are part of growth—they are not crimes. Counseling, understanding, and constructive correction offer far more lasting results than humiliation or physical punishment. Teachers: Not Just Friends, But Inspiring Guardians In modern discourse, the teacher-student relationship is often framed as friendship. However, a teacher’s role is far deeper and more responsible.

 

A teacher is a guide, a mentor, and above all, an inspiring guardian. Teachers must first become motivating parental figures for their students. That means balancing expectations with care, authority with patience, and discipline with compassion. When this balance is achieved, schools become centers of human development—not production lines driven by pressure and performance.

 

The Way Forward Reform must go beyond punitive action and move toward systemic improvement: Regular emotional and behavioral training for teachers, Strengthened counseling systems within schools, Institutionalized parent-teacher communication, Clear, humane, and transparent disciplinary policies. Nation-building is not achieved through mechanical systems, but through human values. If schools cultivate empathy, patience, and mutual respect, they will nurture responsible and sensitive citizens for tomorrow. Education must return to its humane core. Schools must not function as factories of performance, but as centers of compassion.