A notice has been issued by the Department of Public Instruction to the Mithra School in Ramamurthynagar after parents complained that their children had been subjected to corporal punishment and harassment by the school authorities.
On Wednesday, around 50 parents held a demonstration outside the school. The protest was triggered by an incident on Monday when a student was allegedly subjected to corporal punishment by the maths teacher for not doing her homework.
The nine-year-old girl, a student of class 4, is the daughter of a government employee, Beeresh.
“The girl was punished so badly that she fell ill. She also had bruises on her shoulder. Her father then called a group of parents who went to the school, demanding punishment for the teacher,” said a parent, Rajesh Jayasimha.
The parents also claimed the school taught State syllabus, although it had claimed to be an ICSE school during admission.
‘Ear pinched’The school authorities admitted that the girl’s “ear had been pinched by the teacher”, but denied all other allegations.
Police complaintThey accused Mr. Beeresh of trying to “stir trouble unnecessarily” as he was unwilling to pay the school fees. They said he should have first discussed the matter with the school. “Instead, he called a group of people and media persons to create a scene,” said a representative of the school. The school, she added, was contemplating filing a police complaint against the parents for their rude behaviour. Block Education Officer Nanjundaiah said that the child had said she was pinched on the ear and shoulder. He clarified that the school was not an ICSE school.
Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin said on Thursday that he had received a preliminary report about the incident from the Deputy Director of Public Instruction and a notice has been served to the school. “Prima facie it looks as if there is truth in the parents’ allegations. However, we will decide our future course of action once a detailed report is submitted,” he added.
Child rightsMeanwhile, associate director of Child Rights Trust Nagasimha G. Rao said that based on the parents’ allegations, a complaint has been filed with the Child Rights Commission.