Teachers rage at students, corporal punishment shock Mumbai

Principal Jason Vaddakethala refused to speak.

The Right to Education Act prohibits physical punishment or mental harassment and makes teachers contravening this liable to disciplinary action. “While the RTE Act specifically mentions that corporal punishment should be banned in schools, it does not mention about any punitive measures that should be taken when such a case is reported,” Arundhati Chavan, president of PTA United Forum.

Chavan claims that the actual number of such cases is much higher than what comes to light. “We keep getting complaints from parents about their children being beaten up or harassed. However, even after knowing about their kids being subjected to corporal punishment, most parents refuse to report the matter to school management or to the education department.”

A 2000 Supreme Court judgment prohibited corporal punishment in all forms in India. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also issued guidelines to the education departments of states and various chief secretaries.

Basanti Roy, educationist and former secretary of Maharashtra state board’s Mumbai Division said, “Teachers cannot beat student or humiliate them. I believe a thorough investigation should be done and both sides should be heard. In case the teacher is found guilty, the school must take stringent action against her or him. Parents must also take note if the incidents

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