The headmistress of a government primary school in Gaibandha caned over 100 students for allegedly laughing at her as she fell off a veranda on Sunday.
More than 100 students of South Dopadanga Government Primary School in Sundarganj upazila of the district have become ill due to the cruel punishment, leaving their angry parents to demonstrate against the headmistress.
According to sources, the headmistress, Lainunnahar Begum, usually buys fresh milk from a house near the school. On the day of the incident, she sent a student, Akhitara, to collect the milk.
When Akhitara returned to the school with the milk, the head teacher’s three-year-old child suddenly pushed his mother off the veranda where she had been waiting, causing her to fall to the ground.
Witnessing the scene from their classrooms, the students of classes one and two allegedly started laughing, which infuriated Lainunnahar. At one stage, the enraged woman shut the doors of the classrooms and reportedly caned the students, leaving over 100 youngsters injured.
When the students informed their guardians about the beating upon returning home, they gathered at the school yesterday and staged demonstrations demanding exemplary punishment of the headmistress.
The guardians also confronted Lainunnahar, but the headmistress failed to give them any satisfactory answer and left the school premises.
Despite repeated attempts, the headmistress could not be reached for comments as her mobile phone was switched off.
In August 2010, the government banned corporal punishment in all educational institutions across the country, describing it as inhuman. Under a directive issued by the education ministry, teachers who beat children will face disciplinary action by district education officers.
When contacted, upazila primary education officer, Akteruzzaman, said disciplinary action would be taken against the headmistress if she is found guilty after an investigation.
