Teacher who made kids run in sun faces DoE probe

Panaji: The directorate of education (DoE) has initiated a preliminary inquiry based on some parents’ complaints that a Sanguem school’s teacher forced students to run laps in the fatiguing heat, as punishment for being noisy. The parents of the affected Class VII students of Our Lady of Miracles School have said that some children vomited after being made to run around the badminton court. One child was taken to a government healthcare centre and was discharged after brief treatment.
For its part, the school has sought a letter of explanation from the teacher.
According to the school authorities, five to six teachers were absent on Friday. Class VII students were unsupervised for a while. The lab assistant eventually taught the class as directed by the headmaster.
At around 9am on Friday, the teacher accused of punishing the students was teaching at the nearby Class IX, while the headmaster was at another division of the same class.
The school’s officials said that the teacher heard the sound of voices from Class VII and when he entered the class, he found a student jumping on the bench.
The teacher then ordered the students to run around the badminton court. The parents said the heat made several children sick. One complained of breathing difficulties and was taken to the government healthcare centre, while a few others began vomiting.
The parents then gathered at the school to seek an explanation from the headmaster.
According to the headmaster, though he did see the students running, he assumed a physical education class was in progress. “I told the parents that I will convene a meeting and inquire into the matter. But they demanded that the teacher be suspended right away,” said the headmaster, Falisto Cardozo. “Later, we received a call from the police station and both the teacher and I reported to the police station. There, the teacher apologised to the parents and assured them that such incidents will not recur. I have asked the teacher to give a written explanation.”
The education department has sought details from the school such as timetables and teacher attendance sheets. The department has also recorded the statements of the headmaster and the teacher.