Teachers' Day Special: The Masterji’s Stick Is Gone. Who Will Teach Discipline?

Agra, September 5 (TNA): Once, Masterji needed only one stern look to silence a noisy classroom

Today, he may have to say, “Children, please keep quiet.” And someone at the back may confidently reply, “Sheela Ma’am, please don’t give us trauma!” Welcome to the brave new world of education.

Retired teacher Sharmaji remembers an incident from his teaching days. A student had not brought his homework.

When asked why, he casually replied, “So what?” Sharmaji ignored it. That was the beginning.

Soon, “So what?” became the standard answer whenever the boy was corrected. “If I had been firm that first day, perhaps the problem would not have grown,” Sharmaji says. The story sounds funny.

It is not. Across India, disturbing incidents have raised questions about discipline, student behaviour and declining respect for teachers.

In Andhra Pradesh, a Class 10 student allegedly punched a teacher after an argument. In Kerala, students reportedly attacked physical education teachers following a dispute over a football match.

In Uttar Pradesh, a student and her family allegedly assaulted a coaching teacher publicly after allegations of harassment. In Rajasthan, a student reportedly attacked a teacher following earlier disciplinary action.

In Kannur, Kerala, two students allegedly beat a teacher during an examination. And then there was the horrifying Delhi case of 2016. Two students attacked teacher Mukesh Kumar with a knife after a dispute related to an examination and discipline. He later died. Every incident must be judged on its own facts. Allegations against teachers, when made, deserve impartial investigation.

But one principle should remain non-negotiable: Anger is not a licence for violence. Nor is disagreement an excuse for humiliation or assault. Once, the teacher had a stick. Today, the teacher has a rulebook.

And sometimes even that rulebook seems powerless. A teacher raises his voice, and parents may complain. A disciplinary action is taken, and the administration may demand an explanation. A video reaches social media, and suddenly everyone becomes an education expert.

Beating a child, humiliating a child or frightening a child is not discipline. It is abuse. But removing every meaningful consequence from a classroom is equally foolish. A school without discipline is like a traffic signal without rules. Rules must exist. And when rules are deliberately broken, there must be fair and proportionate consequences. Come late repeatedly? Explain why. Disrupt the class? Face appropriate action. Prevent others from studying? Parents may need to be involved. Break rules again and again? Established disciplinary procedures should follow.

The key words are fair, transparent and consistent. Discipline should never depend on a teacher’s personal anger. It should depend on clearly understood rules. What About the Child Who Wants to Study? This question is often forgotten. What about the student who comes to school to learn?

A handful of disruptive children cannot be allowed to hold an entire classroom hostage.

Every child has a right to education.

But education also requires a right to a reasonably peaceful learning environment. We tell children:

“Speak freely.” Good. But also tell them: “Listen respectfully.” We say: “Know your rights.” Also teach:

“Remember your duties.” We encourage questions. Excellent. But children must learn that questioning is not the same as insulting. Being fearless is admirable. Being disrespectful is not. Modern Does Not Mean Unruly. We have rightly moved away from blind obedience. Children should think. They should question. They should challenge unfairness. But every society needs boundaries.

Confidence without humility becomes arrogance. Freedom without responsibility becomes chaos.

A child who casually jumps a queue may later ignore traffic rules. A child who learns that insulting a teacher carries no consequence may eventually treat public institutions in the same way.

Small habits become adult behaviour. Adult behaviour becomes civic culture. And civic culture determines the quality of a society. Masterji Is More Than a Friend. Modern education often tells teachers to become “friends” with students. A friendly classroom is welcome. But a teacher is not merely a friend. A teacher is a guide.

A teacher teaches mathematics, science and language. But a good teacher also teaches patience, punctuality, self-control and respect. A school is not merely an examination factory. It is a workshop for producing citizens. Parents, too, cannot escape responsibility. If every demand is fulfilled at home, every tantrum is tolerated, and every mistake is defended, why expect the school to manufacture discipline overnight? A child who never hears “No” at home will naturally struggle when school finally says it.

Then came the smartphone. Children now live in a world of instant gratification. Swipe. Click. Scroll. Next video. Next game. Next message. Everything arrives immediately. Patience is becoming an old-fashioned virtue. But learning does not work that way. Books require patience. Teachers require attention. Examinations require self-control. Life requires all three. That is why schools need more meaningful discipline, not less. Bring Back the Spirit of Masterji. The old-fashioned stick may never return. Perhaps it should not. But the values associated with the old Masterji must return.

Discipline. Dignity. Accountability. Punctuality. Respect. Responsibility. Consequences.

Do not turn teachers into dictators. But do not make them so powerless that students become the rulers of the classroom. A classroom is not an election rally. The teacher leads. The student learns.

Fear should never be the foundation of education. But neither should fear of parents, administrators, or social media prevent teachers from maintaining order. What we need is not the return of the stick.

We need the return of the teacher’s authority, dignity and confidence.

Because when the teacher becomes afraid of the student, education itself loses its balance. And when children learn that rules are negotiable, society eventually pays the price. Then tomorrow we will complain: Why do people jump red lights? Why do queues disappear? Why is public property abused?

Why does nobody respect civic rules? Perhaps the answer began much earlier. In a classroom.

So this Teachers’ Day, do not merely post flowers, greetings and sentimental messages. Do something more meaningful. Respect the teacher. Protect the child. Demand accountability from both.

And above all, restore the rightful place of discipline in education.

Because a good school does not merely teach a child how to pass an examination. It teaches a child how to live in society. And that may be the most important lesson of all.