MADURAI : Coordinators of the Makkal Kalvi Kootiyakkam under School Education Minister Anbil Poyyamozhi to intervene and revoke the suspension of government school teacher Umamaheswari.
In a statement issued on Friday, the coordinators R Murali, V Arasu, P Sivakumar and educationist Kana Kurinji jointly condemned the suspension of Umamaheswari, a teacher at a government high school in Nellikuppam of Chengalpattu district, claiming that she was suspended by the education department for expressing her views on education policy on social media.
“Under the guise of inquiry, Umamaheswari was allegedly forced to delete all her social media posts a day before she was suspended. The education department officials then sent her a pre-dated suspension order. She was also told not to leave the district. The suspension order shows that the administration has not been able to tolerate her genuine criticism. The officials also failed to see the service she has rendered to uplift students or the funds she has spent from her pocket for the school’s welfare,” they said.
They also pointed out that the Supreme Court had ruled that a government official is free to express their views, and urged the education minister to intervene and revoke her suspension.
“No official should take any action that goes against democracy. The government must hold open dialogues with teachers and students,” they added.