School which locked up child in dark room to face action; govt directs strict action

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: General Education Minister V. Sivankutty has intervened in a case where a student was allegedly made to run in the sun and locked in a dark room for arriving late to school. Taking to his Facebook page, the minister said that no form of discrimination against students will be allowed in schools and that the allegations have come to his attention. The accusations were raised by the parents of a student against Cochin Public School in Thrikkakara, Ernakulam.

'No teacher or school management has the right to treat a child in such a manner. If a child comes late, they can be advised not to be late again. But locking a child in a dark room in a way that affects their mental health is completely unacceptable,' the minister wrote. He has directed the Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education to investigate the matter and submit a report. Further action will be taken once the report is received, he added.

Minister Sivankutty’s Facebook post:

No form of discrimination against children will be allowed in any school in the state. Allegations have come to my attention regarding an incident at a school in Ernakulam where a Class 5 student was locked in a dark room. No teacher or school management has the right to treat a child this way. If a child comes late, they can be advised not to be late again, but locking them in a dark room in a way that affects their mental well-being cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

It is understood that this is not a state syllabus school. The Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education has been instructed to conduct an inquiry and submit an urgent report on the incident. Further action will be taken after receiving the report.

The government’s strong action in such cases is the reason why such incidents have reduced. Lack of proper training for teachers could be one of the reasons behind such behaviour. The government will also consider making proper training mandatory for teachers in other education streams as well.