Hyderabad: Coed schools play spoilsport

Hyderabad: Some coed schools still segregate boys and girls and do not even let them speak to each other, which defeats the purpose of coed schools. The rule is put in place by the school management and many teachers and principals don’t support it.  

Ms Y. Jayasree, former principal of KKR’s Goutham School in Hyderabad, said she quit the school last year because of this. “The school continues to restrict students (of the opposite sex) from speaking to each other as it has done for many years. Most corporate schools in the city believe that trouble arises if they allow the two genders to speak with each other,” she said. She added that  these schools don’t know that there is more trouble when the children are not allowed to mix, “Due to which students generally find other means, which can be more harmful.”

Psychologist K. Prashant said he has around 16 to 17 cases this year where parents have brought their daughters complaining that they were “outspoken and flirting with boys in the school.” Teachers told the parents this and recommended that they take their daughters to a psychologist. 

“When I examined the girls, they didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘flirt’. 

They were quite young, extremely outspoken and brilliant in their academics,” Dr Prashant said. 

He said teachers must understand that interaction between boys and girls is very important, so that they become more comfortable with each other’s gender, creating a healthy environment in schools. Not allowing this can, cause social anxiety among the young.