Assault on student: Kasaragod school HM transferred

The government has transferred the Headmaster of Government Higher Secondary School, Kundamkuzhi, Kasaragod, who had been booked on the charge of assaulting a student, to another school in the district.

The Class X student was reportedly slapped during school assembly, rupturing his eardrum.

Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty, at a press conference here on Thursday, said the Director of General Education (DGE) had examined a report on the incident by the Kasaragod Deputy Director of Education and found a lapse on the part of the Headmaster M. Ashoka.

As part of department-level action, Mr. Ashoka has been transferred to Government Higher Secondary School, Kadambar, with immediate effect.

Mr. Sivankutty underscored that no teacher or school management should take any action that caused mental stress to students. Strict action would be taken if any teaching or non-teaching staff behaved badly with students for no reason or in violation of laws. All educational activities should be student-centric, he added.

Palakkad incident

Referring to the incident in which a student was injured when he threw an explosive found near the gate of a school in Palakkad, Mr. Sivankutty said the government viewed the incident seriously. Strict legal action would be taken in the matter.

The explosives were discovered near the gate of Vyasa Vidhya Peedom pre-primary school. When the student threw one of the explosives to the ground it exploded, injuring him and a woman. More explosives were found in a bucket.

The Palakkad Town North police station have registered cases under the Explosive Substances Act and the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children) Act in connection with the incident.

Mr. Sivankutty alleged the school management was affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and that training was being given to RSS volunteers in the area.

No school campus should be used for weapons practice, storing dangerous weapons, or RSS drills, he said.

The DGE has also been asked to look into the incident and submit a report. The Palakkad DDE would submit a preliminary report in this connection soon. A show cause notice would also be issued to the school.

Parking space

The Minister also flayed unaided schools for denying entry to small buses and vans transporting students while allowing only their school buses on campus. Recently, a bus that could not enter a school campus was trying to reverse when it developed a fault and overturned. The plight of students caught in such a situation could not be imagined, he said.

Lack of parking space in schools was creating problems for students and the local people. Schools should find space to park vehicles commensurate with the increase in their student strength, the Minister said.

School excursions

He also pointed out that some private schools were taking students for excursions after 10 p.m. The General Education department had issues clear directives that travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. will not be allowed during school tours.

Moreover, all students in a class should be included in such tours. In case some students are not able to afford the tours, schools should make arrangements to include them. Else, they should refrain from going for the excursion, the Minister said.