RAIPUR: A teacher at a private school in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur was dismissed after punishing a Class VIII student by making him write an obscene abuse directed 200 times, 100 times each in Hindi and English, triggering outrage among parents and prompting an education department inquiry.The incident took place on July 28 after two students got into an argument and exchanged abusive language in class. Instead of counselling the students or taking disciplinary action, the teacher allegedly asked one of them to repeatedly write the same abusive word in a rough notebook and instructed him to get the pages signed by his parents.The matter came to light when the student’s family saw the notebook. The child’s father questioned the school’s method of discipline, saying teachers are expected to correct children’s behaviour, not make them repeatedly write or utter abusive words.“We send our children to school to study, not to learn abuses. Even if the child was at fault, he should have been counselled. By making him write the abuse 200 times, he would have repeated it just as many times,” the father said.The controversy sparked protests from student organisations, including the ABVP, which submitted a complaint to the Surguja district education authorities and demanded strict action against those responsible.Surguja district education officer Dinesh Kumar Jha said the incident was brought to his notice and an inquiry was ordered through the assistant director.“Prima facie, such punishment is completely wrong. Students should never be exposed to such practices. Action will be taken based on the inquiry report,” he said.School management acted after learning about the incident. The institution apologised to the student’s family and terminated the services of the teacher.Education department officials said they are examining the circumstances under which the punishment was imposed and whether any further action is warranted against the institution.Meanwhile, the ABVP has demanded a fair probe despite the teacher’s dismissal, saying accountability must be fixed to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
