THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government will soon take appropriate action on the basis of the report of the Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Thiruvananthapuram, on the incident in which Pocso case accused vlogger Mukesh M Nair participated as a guest in the reopening ceremony of a government school on June 2, General Education Minister V Sivankutty has said.
The inquiry report of the DDE had concluded that the responsibility for the incident lies entirely on the headmaster of the school.
“It was not right to allow the participation of a Pocso case accused in the event. I would like to clarify that such persons should never be allowed to participate in any school event in the state,” the minister told reporters here on Wednesday.
The minister said the headmaster had visited him earlier in the day and admitted that allowing the Pocso accused in the event was a mistake on the part of the school.
Sivankutty also expressed dissatisfaction over the headmaster’s explanation that he and the teachers of the school did not know the vlogger’s background as he was invited by a voluntary organisation that sponsors materials for students during school reopening.
Sivankutty also informed that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident in which as many as 14 higher secondary students in Kollam were sent out of school for not cutting their hair.
“The Regional Deputy Director of Education, Kollam, will conduct an inquiry and the Director of General Education has been told to take appropriate action. Schools should ensure there is no repeat of such incidents, the minister said.
The minister also allayed concerns of students who were facing hardship in submission of caste and category details in schools during Plus-I admission owing to the non-availability of SSLC certificates in DigiLocker.
“The SSLC book is usually made available in DigiLocker after the results of the Save-A-Year exam are published. However, students can produce the transfer certificate to get their caste and category details verified during the Plus-I admission process,” Sivankutty said.