‘Para teacher found guilty of corporal punishment’

RANCHI: Koderma’s district superintendent of education (DSE) Surendra Vikram Shahi submitted an inquiry report to Koderma DC on Tuesday regarding the para teacher who caned around 25 of his students after they demanded a midday meal.
“The para teacher has been found guilty of corporal punishment and further action will be taken by the DC,” said Shahi.
An FIR was registered on Monday at Domchanch police station of Koderma against Shambhu Sharan Sharma, a para teacher of Rajkiya Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya, Durodih by the parents of the 25 students he caned. Officer in-charge of Domchanch PS S K Poddar said: “The children were not getting their meal for a fortnight. They approached the block resource centre (BRC) on Friday to complain about it. BRC officials questioned school authorities on the issue after which the principal promised to provide meals to the students. When they did not get food the next day, they approached BRC during school hours to complain. Once they returned, they were caned by the para teacher.”
He added, “BRC officials, during their visit to the school, were also keen to know how the children were allowed to leave during school hours. The accused teacher said students were not given their meal due to shortage of wood for preparing food.”
The accused para teacher, who is out on bail, told police that he did not cane the children but only scolded them for leaving school during class hours.
A team from Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken the case seriously and will be writing to HRD secretary about it. JSCPCR member Manoj Kumar said, “Corporal punishment is forbidden under RTE. We will ask Koderma DC for the report and appropriate action will be taken by the commission.”