Chennai:
A class 8 student of a private school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu was forced to take her exam outside the class, obviously because she was a menstruation. A video of the girl – who is a Dalit – was widely broadcast while sitting on the stairs of the classroom, taking action from the authorities. An inquiry has been ordered and the school headmistress has been suspended.
A 1.22 minute video, which the NDTV could not independently verify, shows the girl sitting on steps, writes her exam. Her printed North Sheet gives the name of the school to Beers – “Swami Chidbhanand Matric Higher Secondary School, SengutiM”.
In the video, the girl is heard talking to a woman, she is considered her mother. “The principal asked me to sit here and write the exam,” he said. He said that this was not the first. Earlier, he was designed to take an exam from another isolated place.
“If you get puberty, will they not let you take the exam inside the classroom?” Mother is heard asking. It is not clear whether the girl started menstruation that day or before.
The school claimed that the girl’s mother wanted the girl to sit outside during the examination.
The video has expressed displeasure by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department motivating the official inquiry.
The school education department has sought clarification from the management.
An official told NDTV, “Dr. M. Palanisamy, director of private school education, is conducting an investigation. If any wrongdoing is found, strict action will be taken,” an officer told NDTV.
The School Education Minister has assured that there will be zero tolerance for any kind of harassment against children.
A post by Minister, Ambil Mahesh, read: “A departmental inquiry was conducted against a private school. The school principal has been suspended. In any form, the harassment of children cannot be tolerated. Dear students, do not sit alone! We are here. We will be here”.
