Frisking students for mobile phones hurts their self-respect, says Kerala child rights panel
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7: In a significant order, Kerala's child rights panel has directed authorities to stop frisking students to check on them carrying mobile phones in schools saying it amounts to hurting their "self-respect" and "dignity".
The panel ordered that the gadgets can be carried to educational institutions with the permission of parents for certain special needs.
"Body frisking of students and scanning their bags for mobile phones are barbaric and against the democratic culture... It amounts to hurting the dignity and self-respect of children. So, it should be strictly avoided," the panel stated.
It was also a violation of national and international child rights laws and the fundamental rights ensured by the Constitution, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said in its recent order.
Criticising the blanket ban imposed against students carrying mobile phones to schools, it said the gadgets have become an inseparable part of today's life and the need of the hour is a scientific and psychological approach to check them from becoming addicted to it.
At present, the usage of mobile phones is banned in state schools and the Commission's stand is also that children should not use mobile phones in schools, it said.
"Though children have no permission to use mobile phones in schools, they can carry it with the permission of parents for certain special needs. School authorities should make arrangements to keep the phones after switching off till the class hours are over," the order said.
The full bench of the Commission, comprising its Chairman K V Manoj Kumar and members B Babitha and Reni Antony, came out with the significant directive recently while considering a complaint of a parent of a student whose mobile phone was confiscated by school authorities.
Stating that there was no legal backing for the existing practice of confiscation of mobile phones from students by the school authorities, the panel also ordered to give back the phone to the complainant within three days.
Chairman Manoj Kumar said the panel also directed the authorities to implement a programme in schools to make children "social media literate".
"We cannot avoid the usage of mobile phones these days. So, what we can do is to make children more literate about the internet and social media and equip them to use it safely," he told PTI.
Imposing a complete ban on mobile phones was not a solution for cellular phone and social media misuse and its subsequent problems, he added.
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Have withdrawn notification on board exams for certain classes, Karnataka govt tells SC
New Delhi, Oct 15: The Karnataka government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has withdrawn its notification for conducting board examinations for students of classes 5, 8 and 9 in the current academic year in three rural districts.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma was hearing an appeal filed by Organisation for Unaided Recognised Schools against the March 22, judgement of the Karnataka High Court.
The high court's division bench had permitted the state government to conduct the board exams for classes 5,8, 9 and 11 for the academic year 2023-24, overruling the March 6 order of a single judge's bench.
The single judge of the high court had nullified the state government's decision of October 2023 to hold board exams for these classes through the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB).
On April 8, the apex court stayed the high court division bench order and a April 6 order passed by the Karnataka School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Council "till further orders".
"This is a classic instance whereby no one else than the state government of Karnataka has sought to create a havoc and great distress not only amongst the students and their parents, but also amongst the teachers and the school managements in the state of Karnataka," the bench had then noted.
On Tuesday, the bench was informed by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta that the state government had withdrawn the notification.
"The withdrawal is done. It was a mistake on our part. I can assure my learned friend that even if exams were conducted, no results will be out...," he said.
The bench asked as to why the state government was bent on troubling the parents and children.
"There appears to be some ego problem on part of the state," Justice Trivedi remarked.
Mehta, however, clarified that there were some errors in grant of marks in the three districts, also becoming the reason behind the notification for conducting examinations.
The bench then posted the hearing after a week.
Advocates K V Dhananjay and A Velan, appearing for the petitioners, had previously informed the bench that despite the apex court's interim order staying the board examinations for classes 5, 8, 9 and 11, the state government conducted a half-yearly board exam for class 10 and a public exam for classes 8 and 9 in September.
The bench had asked the petitioner to file a contempt application against the state government for the alleged defiance of its order after the petitioner said the state government's move despite the stay order amounted to contempt.
The Karnataka high court division bench had interpreted the notifications issued by the state government regarding the board exams as guidelines rather than strict regulations, based on its understanding of the powers granted under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
