Two 7-year-old students in a school in Ernakulam, Kerala were made to stand in the scorching heat for three hours as a punishment for not paying their monthly fees. In addition to this, they were not allowed to write their examinations.
The incident occurred in the Settlement School in Aluva, Ernakulam on Wednesday, March 27, reports The News Minute. The students did not pay Rs 990 for the month of March.
Unfortunately, the school did not take the soaring temperatures into account, nor did they pay any heed to the medical condition of the one student who suffered from a nervous condition and had problems in his eye as well. Their punishment ended at 12 noon.
Sariga, the mother of the boys who was punished, said that the school did warn them of dire consequences if the fees weren't paid. She went on to tell TNM that she did not expect the authorities to take such an action against 7-year-old children.
The distraught mother said that she initially thought the only punishment meted out to her son was not being allowed to write the exam. She said that only later on, her son went on to reveal what exactly happened. She contacted the school teacher and was told that the punishment was ordered by the principal of the institution.
"We could not meet the principal on Wednesday. By the time we came with the panchayat representatives to the school, she had left. We then talked to management authorities, but they talked very rudely to us," Sariga was quoted as saying by TNM.
The Kerala State Human Resources Commission issued a suo motu case against the school on Thursday. In addition to this, the Commission's Chairman, Justice Antony Dominic, asked the District Collector and Deputy Director of Education for a full report on the issue within three weeks.
A case has been filed by parents at the Aluva West police station against the school principal under Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of Juvenile Justice Act.
