Cuddalore district accounts for most number of schools where students practise caste discrimination in Tamil Nadu, according to a survey conducted by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF).
The survey, ‘Caste Discrimination in Schools’, found that students at schools in nearly 13 districts nurtured caste pride and indulged in caste-based talk. The TNUEF also suggested solutions and submitted them to the Chief Minister. The second on the list is Madurai, as the rural parts of the district practised caste discrimination at schools.
Publishing the results of the survey in Chennai on Saturday, TNUEF State secretary K. Samuel Raj said many schools refused to employ Scheduled Caste cooks. The survey was conducted in 36 districts. It posed 78 questions to students of 321 government schools, 58 government-aided schools and 62 private schools.
According to the survey, caste-conflicts among students at over 25 schools were brought to the attention of the school authorities. In Theni, students faced discrimination while travelling by bus to schools.
The survey pointed out that students of schools in north Chennai indulged in caste-based teasing and slurs and talking ill of certain castes.
Students of about 33 schools wore caste markers such as threads, bindi, tokens, and photos to denote their caste. “So far, caste threads were heard of, but new markers have surfaced,” Mr. Samuel Raj said.
As for the caste influence of cinema on people, he said, “Many [films] were known to portray a particular actor’s character, or the actor itself, with casteist remarks on their shirts, under-shirts or vehicles.”
Women students in six districts felt threatened and unsafe in their classrooms, while students in three districts have been sexually harassed, the survey found. The report also showed that casteism was rampant among teachers, too, in salary, classrooms, and playgrounds.
Comprehensive document
“A comprehensive document on equality guidance has to be published by the government. Additionally, teachers and staff members must undergo training, and changes have to be made to the curriculum,” Mr. Samuel Raj said.
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The TNUEF urged the government to implement its solutions within a month. “We will publish the school names, if action isn’t taken,” its members warned.
