Are Parents Scared or Least Bothered?
The majority of people think that the best shielding for a child's future is their parents. Mother and father still hold a major position in decision-making with regard to everything—from discipline to academics, screen time to career planning. However, when one considers some of the most obvious and serious problems that children encounter in their daily lives, the question arises: an uncomfortable yet important one—is it that parents actually fear for their kids or they have become indifferent?
As the education-centered sites like educationkhoj.com have often noted, the modern-day parenting is full of hesitations in actions butexpresses through words. The parental quietness has become the standard over time, while the violations of health, safety, and dignity—the three inalienable rights of every child—are frequent.
Pollution: Normalising a Health Emergency
In several Indian cities, air pollution has become a seasonal certainty instead of a notorious problem. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies any Air Quality Index (AQI) level over 300 as Very Poor, while an index above 400 is classified as Severe. Areas such as Delhi-NCR often witness AQI readings between 400 and 500, which are even detrimental to healthy adults, during the cold season.
The medical community in AIIMS and other renowned universities has come to the conclusion that kids are considerably more sensitive to pollution than adults. The prolonged exposure may cause a variety of ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, poor lung capacity, and respiratory disorders, considering that the lungs of children are still maturing and their ability to resist is less. The well-known pulmonologist Dr. Arvind Kumar has vigorously asserted that growing up in an area with high pollution levels can eventually result in one's lungs being damaged beyond repair.
On such polluted days when staying indoors is strongly recommended, parents still send their kids to school every morning. Knowing the risks, parents still send their children to school and often ignore the symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, or watery eyes.
During pollution crises, offices expect having work-from-home option but children, who are at the highest risk, are expected to adjust. Unless the government forces it, schools are very rarely proactive and parents hardly ever oppose this indifference. There is worry, however, not much parental pressure as per educationkhoj.com.
School Cabs: When Safety Takes a Back Seat
One more thing that constitutes school transportation is the permanent worry about the safety of children. Most of the school vans are overloaded with more than 15 students in one automobile, which means violation of safety regulations to a great extent. To add to this, children are not at all equipped with seat belts, supervision, or even an emergency preparedness plan; they are simply being compelled to assume dangerous positions; m... The Motor Vehicles Act along with the state-level School Transport Safety Guidelines very clearly states that all children are to be seated properly and that the number of seats in the vehicles cannot exceed the allowed number.
Parents hardly ever complain about this overcrowding situation, even though they witness it every day. As a rule, safety concerns are always set aside in favor of cost-cutting, trouble, and intimidation by... According to educationkhoj.com, it is often after a ghastly accident that the action gets to the headlines.
School Bags: Silent Damage to Young Bodies
A school bag should not be heavier than 10% of the child's body weight. These were the recommendations of the Supreme Court of India and other High Courts, still the children carry very large luggages every day.
Orthopedic specialists claim that among the consequences of such a practice are chronic fatigue, poor posture, and spine compression. Pediatricians even say that 7 or 8 -year old children have already developed some spinal problems.
Moreover, parents are aware of the burden, but rather than challenging schools, they often encourage children to practice. Educationkhoj.com keeps on asserting that education should make children strong in mind and not in body.
Why Do Parents Remain Silent?
Parental silence is often the result of a lack of time, the acceptance of bad conduct, fear of having a dispute, or the belief that one voice will not be heard. The silence, however, has the same effect as approval.
In the present day, parents are the most knowledgeable about the issues pertaining to their children. Recommendations from the courts, the opinions of experts, and the constant efforts of websites like educationkhoj.com to highlight the issues are all indications of this. What is missing is the willingness to act together.
A parent in the full sense of the word should have the courage to ask for things, to demand that the environment be made safe, and to protect the children from dangers before it's too late.
Being a parent does not mean your responsibility has come to an end as soon as your child gets admission in a big private school. You need to be loud on these things too.
