PERAMBALUR: The headmistress of a government higher secondary school in Kunnam taluk has drawn the ire of many following a recent video of her beating up students for arriving late to the institution going viral. The Chief Educational Officer (CEO) has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
On Thursday morning, over 20 students, including girls, of the school in S Adudurai village turned up late for classes reportedly due to delay by government buses. Seeing this, headmistress Vandarkuzhali lined up the students and beat them up with a cane. Unable to bear the pain, some girl students are seen frowning and sobbing in a video that recorded the incident.
Following a few students informing their parents of the incident after returning home in the evening, complaints were placed with the district CEO, R Arivazhagan. Subsequently, the CEO directed Veppur District Educational Officer Kulanthairajan to hold an enquiry into the matter and to submit a report. Vandarkuzhali, teachers, students and parents are being questioned.
Authorities are also probing the matter of students having purportedly shot the viral video when they are not allowed to bring phones to school. Most of our children travel to school by government buses. These buses are late to our village. In this situation, the students were late to school as the buses were late. How can the headmistress beat them? This is against government rules. The girls were also beaten up. The district administration should take stern action against the headmistress, irate parents of the affected students said.
Mentioning that the students would have arrived earlier had they been informed kindly, the parents added such incidents only make them lose confidence in government schools, where enrolment is already low.
CEO Arivazhagan said, “I cannot take action because she is the headmistress. I learned about this and have been investigating. It has been revealed there is already another charge against her. After the final hearing, I will submit a report on the two incidents to the Joint Director of School Education. They will take action.”