Class II girl flogged by schoolteacher

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 19

A Class II student of Government Primary School, Lohara, has been beaten with a stick by an English teacher after she failed to learn her lesson properly. Her family has also lodged a complaint with the child helpline (number 1098).

The girl, who was beaten yesterday, suffered bruises on the back. Her family went to meet the school head today. Her mother said her daughter came home crying and told her that her tecaher had beaten her because she failed to reply to a question. “This is not how the teachers should treat students. My child was not ready to go to school today, so my brother and I went to meet the school head to make her comfortable at school. To our surprise, the school head was not even aware of the matter and refused to listen to our complaint properly,” she said.

“My child has undergone a deep shock and is frightened to go to school. If the school has any complaint from the student, they should call the parents but beating up a child with stick is no solution,” she added. Uncle of the child said the school did not recognise the matter as a serious one. The school head took the matter in a casual manner. Left with no other option, I registered a complaint with the child helpline, he added.

School head Arvinder Kaur said the family of the student had come to school today. “Teachers take a lot of pain in teaching the students. The student was not studying properly due to which the teacher has beaten her. The matter was solved with the parents,” she said. Despite repeated attempts, DEO (Elementary) Rajinder Kaur could not be contacted for comments.