A six-year-old Dalit boy, who was allegedly forced to clean the washroom by some teachers, was found locked in the classroom of a government primary school in the Jansath area, police said on Wednesday.
Reportedly, the Basic Education Department has taken action against the school’s principal and a teacher. The police said that the incident took place on Tuesday when a six-year-old student of class one was found locked in the school classroom, allegedly due to the carelessness of Principal Sandhya Jain and class teacher Ravita Rani.
Meanwhile, the child’s mother alleged that the two teachers used to force her son to clean the washroom as they held “hatred” against Dalit children. She has also lodged a complaint in this regard.
She claimed that, due to the negligence of the teachers, her child remained locked in the classroom for more than an hour after the school ended. She found out about her son when she did not reach home after school.
On reaching the school, she heard the cries of her child. Following this, the villagers and her family members called the principal. Later, teacher Ravita Rani’s husband reached the school with the keys and opened it.Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Sandeep Kumar told PTI that the principal has been suspended and teacher Rani has been given an adverse entry.
Principal Jain said that “injustice” was done to her as the class teacher was responsible for this. “Even if the child was sleeping, the classroom should have been checked before locking it,” she said.
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) criticized the incident, referring to it as an example of the “Double Engine” education system in the state. The party’s tweet suggests that the incident is a reflection of the larger problems in the education system under the current government.
However, an investigation has been ordered into the matter, and a two-member committee led by the block shiksha adhikari, Jansath and Shahpur, will look into it and submit its report within three days. Kumar said that all staff have been asked to check the classrooms before closing the school.
