COIMBATORE: The school educational department officials on Friday placed the headmistress and a teacher of the panchayat union primary school at
Mullampatti
near Perundurai in Erode district under suspension for forcing adi dravidar students to clean the school toilets and classrooms. The department has also initiated a departmental inquiry against the duo.
The move comes after a video of a Class IV student cleaning the school toilet went viral on social media on March 26.
The person who shot the video was heard questioning the student about cleaning the school
premises
and toilets. The person said the school was forcing the students coming to the facility first to clean the premises and toilets for many years.
Based on the video, Perundurai block educational officer
Amutha
conducted an inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, parents of seven students petitioned district collector H
Krishnanunni
on March 28, seeking action against schoolteacher Sudha for forcing their children to clean the school toilets and headmistress Mythili for supporting the teacher.
The parents said the teacher was forcing only adi dravidar community students to clean the toilets and classrooms.
The collector constituted an inquiry committee, who held an inquiry with the students, headmistress and the teacher. They submitted a report to the collector, stating that the allegations were true.
Chief educational officer M Ramakrishnan subsequently placed the headmistress and the teacher under suspension on Friday. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against them.