- How long can a teacher hold the hand of a student to show her the correct posture in a sport?
- Can a student’s feet be touched to show her how to kick a ball?
- Can a student be patted on the back as a gesture of encouragement or will it be viewed as crossing the line?
Male sports teachers across schools in Kolkata are struggling with questions and doubts in the wake of the conviction of two physical education teachers at a city school in a case of sexual assault on a four-year-old girl.
The teachers have been held guilty of gang rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault and sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment.
In sports, physical contact is often necessary but teachers on the field are not surewhether they can do that any more.
“The crime has been committed by two teachers, but it has put the scanner on all sports teachers,” said a physical education teacher at a school.
“On the field, teaching a skill might require us to rectify a child’s posture, like making their hands straight. Are we not supposed to do that any more?” asked the head of the department of physical education at a south Kolkata school.
Physical education teachers cited examples where contact is spontaneous or where a teacher has to correct the postures of a student. It could be the right grip of a cricket bat or how to kick a football.
“At times, touch becomes necessary. Or else we would not be able to teach the child. If a no-touch policy is enforced following the conviction of the two teachers, we have to teach children by showing them videos,” said a male sports trainer at a co-education school in the city.
“Patting a student on the back when he or she does well happens spontaneously and it is meant to encourage the child. Now it seems there is no scope for any spontaneous reaction,” the teacher said.
The head of the physical education department said teachers should avoid one-to-one sessions to explain any physical aspect of a sport. “We should explain such things in a group so that our action is visible to all and is not misunderstood by anyone,” he said.
In several schools where the sports teacher is male, there are female “shadow teachers” to assist him in the sports arena during training sessions.
In the schools where there are no such female “shadow teachers”, the male teachers want the authorities to appoint them.
“We will request our school management to appoint female trainers as well. We start training children from Class III, so the presence of female teachers would be better,”said a physical education teacher.
Another teacher said all areas should be covered with CCTV cameras and no corner should be left outside surveillance.