KOCHI: At a time when the Kerala Government is taking all efforts to promote Malayalam in the state, a controversy has erupted after a student of a private school was beaten up by a teacher for speaking in Malayalam in the class.
A fifth standard student belonging to Assisi Vidyaniketan Public School at Njarackal in Ernakulam district was beaten up by an English teacher for speaking in Malayalam to his friends in her class on Wednesday.
When contacted, the school authorities said the English teacher was not their regular staff.
“We hire private agencies to teach communicative English for our students so that they will learn to speak English through activities rather than just sticking to our curriculum. The teacher belonged to that agency. She pinched the student not just for speaking in Malayalam but also for not doing some tasks she had assigned during the class,” said a school staffer.
Following a complaint given by the child’s parents, the school management has terminated the services of the teacher. “Officially we terminated the services of the teacher on Thursday itself. We are also taking steps to terminate the contract with the agency,” said Antony, manager of Assisi Vidyaniketan Public School.
The child’s parents have filed a complaint with the Childline and the Child Welfare Committee members who visited the school on Friday. “There are pinch marks on the kid’s body. We visited the school to collect details. The parents have withdrawn their complaint following the teacher’s termination” said a CWC official.