Discrimination has been prevalent in our society for thousands of years now. Even though it is a punishable offence by law, people practice it in different ways. It’s not only the Dalits that face this problem, but even a student who is alienated, based on their financial status would be termed as discrimination. Just because the stigma has been present for so many years, it has been normalised.
We experience it on a day-to-day basis but do not realise its intensity, especially in classrooms, where a child spends most of their day. “You’re too fat;” “You’re too thin;” “You’re ugly;” a child is trolled regardless of their physical qualities. They will be bullied if they score very high marks or even when they don’t. These norms were not in the child’s head since childhood, but the society is to be blamed for this. Some children are adversely affected and develop insecurities to such an extent that they lose their self-esteem. Young kids don’t make friends based on looks or caste.
It’s high time now that we put an end to such practices. Parents and teachers play a significant role in bringing an end to this:
- Teachers can give group projects where the students are randomly divided, initiating a healthy and friendly conversation among them.
- Parents must teach their children to respect students of every colour, caste, creed, weight, gender, etc.
- Lastly, every citizen must come together to put an end to normalising discrimination and take actions wherever necessary.