Girls, boys, keep distance: schools

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Keywords: Co-education, Students

Mumbai: They may be co-educational schools in metropolitan Mumbai, but are still insisting drawing on a line that divides the boys from the girls.

Two schools in Mumbai issued notices this week asking girls and boys studying there not to touch or hug members of the opposite sex.

Vibgyor School and Jamnabai Nursery School have specifically forbidden boys and girls from touching or hugging members of the opposite sex in the school premises.

School authorities say the rule will “discipline” students, who are easily exposed to and influenced by violence and vulgarity on TV and other media.

"It is our duty ki unko bataya jai kya sahi hai, kya galat hai (... to tell them what's right and what's wrong)," Trustee of Vibgyor School, Rustam Kherawala argues, justifying the move.

Both the schools distributed circulars to students and their parents over the last week. But there have been mixed reactions to the new rule. Some students are quite unhappy with the directive.

"Vibgyor jo rule lagoo kya hai, woh kafi achcha hai. Magar kuch aise bhi cases hote hai jidhar by mistake or unintentionally agar koi kisi ko dhakka mar de, toh usse bhi problem ho sakta hai (The rule being implemented by Vibgyor are pretty good. But we can get into trouble if we push a girl by mistake or unintentionally)," a high school student, Rahul points out.

Then there are those who feel the rule will stop the boys from teasing girls.

"Kabhi kabhi ladke log jaan bujhke dhakka marte hai, toh bura lagta hai. Ish liye yeh rule achcha hai, thik hai (the boys push us intentionally at times. This will stop if the new rule is implemented)," says a young student at one of the schools, Nisha.

Nevertheless, the directive has triggered off an old debate: what is the purpose of calling a school a co-ed if the interaction between boys and girls is constantly policed and is always under scrutiny?

And even parents for the most part have welcomed the rule. Children have to know what their limits are, they say.

"You know, they are in school as of now. Un logo ko abhi se hum agar in batoon ki soth de de, toh woh kahan par jake end hoga that's beyond our imagination, (They are in school now. If we start ignoring these things, you just can't imagine where it will lead them to)," Richa Bhatia, whose children go to one of these schools, says.

(With inputs from Archana Pushpendra Singh)