LUCKNOW: A 12-year-old Class 7 student in Kanpur Dehat approached the police complaining that teachers at his government school were allegedly neglecting teaching and remaining busy on their phones.
Madhav, a student of the government composite school in Rasdhan village, about 30 km from the district headquarters, approached the local police outpost on Monday. A video of the incident went viral on social media on Thursday.
Madhav reportedly complained to the police outpost in-charge Prashant Singh seeking some action, "Teachers don't teach, they use their phones the entire day. Older students beat younger ones, and children keep playing in the ground all day long. "
“I am very troubled,” the child said, claiming that when he left school, the ‘madam’ was still talking on the phone. “What will happen to my future,” he asked.
The outpost in-charge asked Madhav about his demand, following which a head constable accompanied him to the school to verify his complaint.
At the school, Madhav's class teacher Saima Khan allegedly scolded and threatened him in front of the constable. Police recorded the incident and later spoke to other school staff.
Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Ashish Pandey took note of the video and directed the Block Education Officer (BEO) to investigate. The BEO spoke to students and staff and submitted a report to the BSA.
Based on the report, the BSA issued show-cause notices to headmaster Anupam Kumar and teacher Saima Khan, asking them to appear before him and explain their conduct.
According to the BEO, some students had beaten Madhav, following which he approached the teacher. The teacher was allegedly speaking on the phone and did not listen to him, prompting the student to approach the police.
However, BSA Ashish Pandey said the matter was related to a dispute among students. “The police post is right next to the school, so the child went there. The Block Education Officer went to the spot and investigated. The child's parents were also called to the school. According to them, the child used to become aggressive every now and then. For now, he is being counselled.”
Meanwhile, students of a Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Lucknow protested on Thursday over a shortage of teachers. They said the school had more than 450 students but only seven teachers, and claimed the shortage was affecting their studies. The students said they would continue the protest until more teachers were appointed.