New Delhi, August 31
The Centre is reportedly considering anti-bullying regulations for schools on the lines of the UGC’s anti-ragging measures framed in 2009 following Tanda (Himachal Pradesh) Medical College student Aman Kachroo’s death.

This is the first time that ragging in schools has come up for debate at government level. This follows the recent victimisation of students by seniors at Scindia School, Gwalior, one of the oldest boarding schools in India.

Currently, there is no statutory mechanism to bar bullying in schools.

A year back former HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju had formed a committee of academic and mental health experts to review the scale of ragging in schools and recommend preventive measures.

The committee headed by CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi is learnt to have submitted its report to the HRD Ministry. It has described bullying in Indian schools as a serious problem and recommended regulations to bar the menace in schools on the lines of UGC’s Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions notified on June 17, 2009. The committee commissioned a survey of schools and found the extent of bullying to be “serious”.

Raj Kachru (Aman Kachru's father), who attended committee meetings on the basis of his expertise in running the UGC's anti-ragging helpline, said "Bullying of serious nature exists in schools. The committee has recorded this fact. It has recommended anti-bullying regulations, state level helplines to enable students to access help; and secretariats run by NGOs to follow up on complaints. A decentralised follow up mechanism would be best. The committee has submitted its report to HRD Minister Smriti Irani."

UGC's anti-ragging regulations apply only to higher institutions and not schools which is why the need for a debate arose. In the committee a major point of debate was that while colleges and university students can be rusticated for ragging, school students can’t be removed from schools as they have the legal Right to Education.

"Many of us argued that anti-bullying regulations when they come must make a distinction between the right to education and the right to a certain school. Principals must be given the power to break bullying gangs and transfer errant students to different schools to prevent the menace. In most cases bullies act in groups and breaking these groups is the sole solution. But under present laws, principals who transfer children can face court trial for violating the RTE Act which guarantees right to education in a neighbourhood school.

Lawrence School Sanawar Principal, who transferred some students for bullying, is facing trouble on this count,” says Kachru adding that if anti-bullying regulations don't come up soon, court will have to be approached for help as in UGC's case. The UGC had issued anti-ragging notification after SC’s rap.

Asked who would notify anti-bullying regulations for schools as there is no statutory regulator for schools unlike the UGC for higher institutions, experts said the government could do that and ask school bodies to comply. Even UGC regulations had to be formally adopted by all the 13 higher education regulators, including the Medical Council of India and All-Indian Council for Technical Education.