CHENNAI/VIRUDHUNAGAR: DMK MP Rajathi alias Salma has written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Tuesday, seeking action against Industries Minister S Keerthana over her government school ‘inspection’, which she said amounted to public humiliation of a minor student and unauthorised disclosure of the child’s identity.
In her complaint, the MP said the incident occurred on July 2 during Keerthana’s inspection of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Thiruthangal, near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district. She alleged the minister mocked a student over her English-language proficiency, drawing a comparison with ‘last-benchers’ that she said had triggered backlash from psychologists and educationists.
The MP alleged that videos of the exchange were “widely circulated” on social media without masking the child’s identity, and that the minister or persons acting under her authority had caused the video to enter the public domain.
Former school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi accused Keerthana of once again displaying a “corporate mindset” and hostility towards government schools. In a post on X, he said that government schools were “not a symbol of poverty, but a symbol of pride”. NTK chief coordinator Seeman condemned Keerthana’s act and questioned why she inspected schools instead of inspecting ammonia gas leak site.
In response, minister Keerthana on Tuesday posted online that her objective was to create an environment in which every Tamil-medium student can speak with confidence on any stage. She clarified the video was recorded by the media, and recalled her struggles as a government Tamil-medium student, who learnt English through experience.
