The investigation into the recent ragging incident at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) has shed light on the roles of the culprits involved. It appears that the school's anti-ragging committee is not functioning as expected, and several administrative lapses contributed to the students daring to engage in this mischievous act.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a circular on March 9, 2015, outlining guidelines for the prevention of bullying and ragging in schools. These guidelines emphasize the shared responsibility of preventing any form of bullying and ragging, involving all stakeholders, including the head of the institution, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents, and the local community. The Anti-Bullying-Ragging committee is supposed to be formed by the school, comprising members from the school administration and other concerned representatives.
Abraham George, the Principal of JNV Palghar, informed FPJ that such a committee does not exist at the school. Instead, a committee consisting of the Principal and four housemasters takes care of these responsibilities. The school administration lacks records of committee meetings or meeting minutes. The school also failed to organize special workshops or discussions with students by counselors, which could have educated them about the implications of strict anti-ragging laws.
The Principal mentioned that the multi-tasking staff member who was on duty on the day of the incident did not report any untoward incident. However, this staff member went on medical leave without proper notification just a day after the incident occurred. The Principal also stated that on October 1, the day following the incident, the entire JNV staff participated in a cleanliness drive, and none of the students registered a complaint.
The inquiry into this matter will rely on CCTV camera footage from the cameras installed in the corridors of the boys' hostels. The Principal has assured that strict disciplinary action will be taken against the individuals responsible for the incident.
