Back in the day, our school authorities used to conduct surprise bag checks to see if students carried any foreign objects to school, especially mobile phones.
Apart from phones, lip balms, cricket balls, combs, and chewing gums were some of the common items confiscated from school kids.
Recently, schools in Bengaluru also conducted a similar surprise bag check and were shocked to find what all kids these days carried in their bags.
The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) instructed school authorities to check the bags of students following complaints that they bring cell phones to classrooms. It was during this inspection that the authorities found condoms, oral contraceptives (i-Pill), lighters, cigarettes, whiteners, alcohol, and an exorbitant amount of cash in the bags of students in Classes 8, 9, and 10, reported Deccan Herald.
Firstpost quoted KAMS general secretary D Shashi Kumar saying, “There were oral contraceptives (i-Pill) in one student’s bag. Also, there was alcohol in water bottles.” The checking was conducted in about 80 percent of schools in Bengaluru.
The immediate expected action would be to suspend these students. However, instead of expelling students who were found with the above-mentioned items, the authorities decided to bring this to the notice of the parents who were equally shocked and informed school authorities of the sudden changes in the behavior of their kids.
“Though we have counseling sessions at schools, we asked parents to seek help for children from outside and granted leave for up to 10 days,” said the principal of a school in Nagarabhavi.
Another principal said that a condom was found in a Class 10 girl’s bag. “When questioned, she blamed her classmates or those at the private tuition that she goes to.”
In response to this unbelievable update, D Shashi Kumar said, “We are struggling to overcome this shock. Students were found to be harassing teachers and classmates, using foul language, bullying, and making bad gestures. Such behavior is seen even in Class 5 children.”
If we would have been found with these items or even seen using foul language with our teachers, our parents would have beaten the hell out of us, back in the day.
What do you think are the causes of such worrisome behavioral changes in school kids these days?