MADURAI: Human rights monitoring advocate People’s Watch from Madurai has today condemned the Department of School Education’s new guidelines requiring schools to get mandatory clearance from police intelligence who are invited to school events and stated that this decision from the Department of School Education in Tamil Nadu raises grave concerns about the State’s democratic values and its impact on civic freedom in educational institutions.
Mr.Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, People’s Watch, had issued an important press statement from Madurai on December 5th 2024 as an urgent appeal to the Department of School Education in Tamil Nadu to reconsider and revoke the police intelligence clearance mandated to schools for inviting the guests to school events.
“Such measures because of “The Mahavishnu Effect” cast a shadow on our civic freedom, democracy and free expression in schools. Education is a space for critical thinking, and exchange of ideas. Policing such school spaces undermines the purpose and creates an atmosphere of fear and control. So, we are making an urgent appeal to reinforce schools as spaces of learning that are free from undue surveillance. Policing of school events is an affront to our India democracy and an unnecessary intrusion into spaces meant to nurture young minds. We call upon the Government and civil society to stand together in protecting the sanctity of our schools and the freedoms that define our society,” Mr.Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, People’s Watch. has said in the press statement from Madurai today- on December 5th 2024- and added that police intelligence excludes civil society leaders, critical thinkers, writers, lawyers and human rights advocates from participating in school events “and this amounts to a direct assault on freedom of speech, expression, right to information and pillars of our democracy,”
