A school is in the dock after many parents complained about corporal punishment being meted out by the principal. Parents of a child with special needs have also alleged that their child was physically abused by the staff.
Many parents have complained to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights about The Happy Valley School in Uttarahalli hobli.
Following complaints of corporal punishment and concerns regarding the quality of education, several parents pulled their children out of the school and admitted them in other schools.
“The alleged incident came to light in November 2018. Several reports have been submitted by the education department alleging that the management is at fault. We are still waiting for action against the school principal,” said a parent, whose child was enrolled in the school until last year.
Another parent, whose child is enrolled in the school, said, “The school harassed some of the students more after they learnt which of the parents had complained against them. They dealt with our children in an inhumane manner, and not only slapped, them but also verbally abused them. We do not want any other student to suffer, and decided to fight this battle.”
Officials of the DPI stated that the school was started as a mathematics tuition class. “We have found that many of the staff are not qualified and a lot of the school’s documents are not in place. But we are waiting for the commission to hear the case and pass an order,” a senior official in the department said.
Fr. Antony Sebastian, Chairperson of the commission, said that the cases would be heard on Thursday.
The school management did not respond to calls and messages from The Hindu .
