Tamil Nadu schools have been directed to clamp down on caste-related conversations, symbols and markers on campuses after the alleged caste-discrimination-related death of Coimbatore Class XI student Akilan, with education officials ordering tighter monitoring, weekly seat reshuffles and stronger complaint mechanisms.
Chief education officers and district education officers have told schools under their jurisdiction to treat a blanket ban on caste markers and caste-related conversations on school premises as a priority. School heads have also been instructed to remove caste references from students’ names in attendance registers and check whether bicycles, gadgets, ribbons or bands carried or worn by students display caste indications.
The directions include a recall of instructions issued last year, according to a school head quoted in the report. Schools have been asked to display the child helpline number 1098 and the education department helpline 14417 across their campuses. Teachers have also been told to counsel students on responsible social media use and prevent defamatory posts based on caste.
Schools have been asked to encourage students to use Manavar Manasu complaint boxes to report problems. At the district level, monitoring committees are already in place to address caste-based issues involving students. These committees comprise chief and district education officers, the district child protection and welfare officer and a police officer.
An education department official said school heads had been instructed to coordinate with these panels whenever caste-based issues were reported. The committees are intended to provide an institutional route for complaints that might otherwise remain within the school system or go unreported.
Chennai chief education officer M Kabir said periodic awareness sessions would be held for school heads and teachers. He also referred to initiatives including moral classes and Tirukkural lessons being implemented in schools. The instructions place responsibility on school managements and teachers not only to respond to reported conflicts but also to maintain regular awareness activities.
The department has further directed teachers not to leave school campuses without signing movement registers. The measure is intended to ensure that an adult remains available on campus to address conflicts and respond to student concerns. The directions follow the death of Akilan in Coimbatore, which the report said was allegedly linked to caste discrimination. The report did not provide details of any police investigation or legal finding establishing the circumstances of the death.
