20 January,2017 08:37 AM IST | | Pallavi Smart
While the teacher in question has already by suspended by the management, incident has also set off outrage and yet another debate on corporal punishment as a means to discipline children
Prachi Gupta
The immediate aftermath of seven-year-old Prachi Gupta's merciless beating and hair pulling by her teacher at Thane's Gyanoday Vidya Mandir School has been swift and harsh. While the teacher in question has already by suspended by the management, it has also set off outrage and yet another debate on corporal punishment as a means to discipline children. On the upside: Prachi has been deemed medically fit after a precautionary CT scan yesterday.
Father seeks action
Following the incident on Tuesday (wherein Prachi's teacher punished her for forgetting to bring her diary for the teacher to make a note in it about late payment of fees by pulling out her hair and leaving a bald spot there), Prachi's father Akhilesh decided to approach the police. However, after the school management assured him of appropriate action against the teacher, he decided to wait.
Read Story: Thane: Teacher uproots 7-year-old's hair over late fees
"I am waiting for the school to take action. If it fails to take satisfactory action against such inhuman behaviour by a teacher, then I will start knocking on all possible doors to ensure that the teacher is not appointed in any other school," said Akhilesh, who runs a photo studio in the same locality. And though he is relived that Prachi is fit, he is worried about new hair growth at the bald spot that the teacher left her with.
School shrugs
When contacted, RN Tiwari, secretary of the Gyanoday Shikshan Prasarak Samiti, the school trust, said, "The teacher has been suspended for a week and also served a showcause notice. Further actions will be decided after she submits her response. We are following the procedure here and are very particular about following rules."
Opposing views
Meanwhile, though Chintaman Vekhande, state treasurer of Maharashtra State Shikshak Sena, has stated that corporal punishment is a complete no-no in schools, Prashant Redij, spokesperson for Maharashtra School Principals' Association, said, "In schools, disciplining involves punishment, but where to draw the line has to be understood by teachers."
