A teacher hit 11 students successively with a cane for allegedly not doing their homework. The incident took place in Sir M Ct Muthiah Chettiar Boys Higher Secondary School, a government-aided school in Pursawalkam.
A CCTV footage was recorded on 21 November at 9.30 am, in the computer science section of the 12th grade classroom.
The teacher Saktivel Pandian has been suspended for 60 days and an inquiry committee has been setup to look into the matter.
The Principal of the school Ravishankar said, “We have been extremely cautious and have instructed all teachers to not punish students severely and definitely not beat them. There are a lot of incidents lately of students committing suicide and getting depressed, so it’s a big no for corporal punishment.”
The management said that they didn’t even inquire the matter as they do not tolerate such behavior.
The strength of the class is 70 and the boys’ school has a total of 1,300 students, most of them from economically weaker sections.
The teacher who has been working in the school for the last 12 years has earlier been blacklisted for various other reasons.
The teacher could not be contacted for clarification.
The management said they’ve conducted counselling sessions for the teachers to sensitise them and make them understand what repercussions a harsh scolding or a beating could have.
Recently, four school students committed suicide by jumping into a well near Vellore after they were reportedly scolded by their teacher for their poor academic performance. In Sathyabama University, Chennai, a student hung herself after she was caught cheating in an examination hall and debarred from writing exams.
With a surge in students resorting to extreme measures, schools are taking steps to provide psychological help to students to help manage stress.
Tamil Nadu State helpline number 104
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
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