Students made to clean toilets, sweep school campus in Odisha village

Tension prevailed high at a government primary school in Ganjam district on Wednesday after serious allegations surfaced against a teacher for allegedly assaulting students and forcing them to clean school toilets.

The incident has been reported from the Atagada Durga Government Primary School at Athagadapatna, under the Kabisuryanagar block. According to allegations, a teacher identified as Jharana Pradhan asked students to clean the school toilet and later physically thrashed them.

Students Beaten Up

Sources said the students were left in tears inside the school premises following the alleged assault. After learning about the incident, parents rushed to the school and staged a protest. Agitated villagers created a commotion and gheraoed the accused teacher, demanding action.

The situation turned tense for some time as locals sought strict measures against the teacher. On being informed, higher authorities reached the school and held discussions with the parents and villagers to pacify the situation.

Also Read: CBSE mandates mental health & social emotional learning framework in schools after SC order

Officials have assured that the matter will be examined and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings. Meanwhile, the accused teacher refrained from making any statement before the media regarding the allegations.

No Action Taken

“They are forcing our children to clean toilets, sweep the premises, and when not done, they beat them up. The accused teacher is identified as Jharana. She has beaten all the students and even pushed a child whose leg is injured, with blood flowing from it. We are not aware that she has been torturing our children ever since she joined,” alleged a guardian.

When contacted, the Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators (CRCC) said, “I questioned the teacher, and she admitted to hitting the students for not cleaning. Necessary action will be taken after I submit a report to the BEO. I have tried to pacify the matter, and the teacher has promised not to repeat.”