Updated on: Saturday, April 23, 2011
The Madras HC directed the Director of Elementary Education to conduct a "full-fledged enquiry" into the alleged exploitation of students by school teachers and issue appropriate instructions and guidelines to all concerned within three months.
Disposing a public interest litigation petition by one V G Dhanasekaran of Tiruvannamalai district, the First Bench comprising the Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam passed the order. The petitioner sought for a direction to the Tamil Nadu Government to frame a scheme "to stop the abuse of village students by teachers in the State".
He also sought a direction for appointing independent non-bureaucratic committees at the district-level to prevent such practices.
The petitioner alleged that "teachers of different schools exploited pupil by asking them to clean their toilets and vehicles. The teaching staff also asked the students to get tea and snacks. Those who refused to carry out the orders were beaten". Despite making representations to the authorities concerned over the issue, no action had been taken, he claimed.
The court said that since the matter appeared to be a serious one, it was directing the Director of Elementary Education to enquire into the issue so that "those indulging in such abominable activities would be deterred from doing so".