Under Section 17 of Right to Education Act (RTE), corporal punishment is banned in schools.
In the latest incident, a parent of a five-year-old girl took to social media to narrate the ordeal her daughter went through at East Wood High School, Ulsoor. Based on her post, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) filed a suo motu case, issued summons to the school on Friday and ordered an inquiry.
“It all started with physical punishment for my daughter who is studying in nursery, East Wood High School, Ulsoor. Each morning started with her crying and requesting me not to send her to school. At first I ignored her as I thought she needs time to adjust in her new school. But later when I asked her the reason, she told [me] that her class teacher used to beat her regularly. I even met and requested the class teacher not to beat her as well other children.”
She added that she also met the school principal, who justified the practice by saying, “A teacher doesn’t have any other way other than beating to instill discipline.” The parent also narrated the mental abuse the students underwent at school. She said in her post that her daughter and classmates were shamed in front of the entire class by the teacher who asked them remove their clothes and stand before the blackboard.
“I tried to inform the teacher about corporal punishment in April last year, but I was shocked to hear from my daughter that they were shamed and the teacher removed their clothes in an effort to instill discipline among the kids,” reads the post.
It further read, “The children were also threatened and told that they would be taken to a dark room where a dog is kept and it will attack their private parts. It is easy for me to change my daughter’s school but this will not end the misery for the rest of the kids.”
After the parent posted this, the parents’ forum started an online petition seeking justice for their children. When Express tried to contact the school authorities, they did not respond.