In a city like Karachi, which is assumed to be one of the most civilised cities of the country, a teacher broke an arm of a student with an iron road without any reason at all.
Not only this, the school administration had also rusticated the injured student one day before the final examination was to commence. On the day of the incident, a teacher of a private school had beaten a minor with an iron rod and broke one of his arms. The repulsive incident took place in Waqarul Islam Secondary School, a private educational institute, located in the posh locality Umar Frooque Town, Kalapul, Defense.
During the course of investigations, it was disclosed that the private school building was constructed on an 80 square yard plot and it had only six rooms for Montessori to Matric classes. The school was using an illegal water and electricity connection and there was no toilet for students and teachers within the school premises.
“I was recalling the test when my teacher kicked me from behind,” nine year old Hasnain Noor, son of Shafqat Mehmood and a student of class V in Waqarul Islam Secondary School told Pakistan Today.
“I fell on the ground and when I stood up again, the teacher started beating me with an iron rod,” Noor said, adding that, “When I asked the teacher about my mistake, she said I am not afraid of anyone and threatened me to stop asking her for a reason. Later she started beating me again.”
“I fell unconscious and when I regained consciousness, I found myself at my home,” Noor said, adding that, “My father told me that my classmate had visited my house and informed my father that I had fell unconscious.”
“My right arm has stopped working and I cannot move it properly,” Noor said, while adding that the school principal expelled him on Thursday (7th May, 2013) on the day of his first paper, namely English language, of the final examination.
“I sent my son for attending class today but the principal of the school told him that he was expelled,” Shafqat Mehmood said.
“The mother of the original school owner, who herself is uneducated, is fulfilling the responsibility of principal, and she told me that my son is no more a student of Waqarul Islam Secondary School,” Shafqat said, adding that he had paid the fees for the entire academic year in advance and at the start of the final exam. He said that in spite of the fact that he had paid the fee, the school management was still saying that his son was no more a student of the school.
“First they broke one arm of my child and secondly they expelled him, which is a great injustice,” Shafqat added. “The owner of the school, namely Mukhtar, when approached against the highhandedness of the school teacher, replied that he had not beaten my child and asked me to take action against the teacher on my own,” he said.
On a visit to Waqarul Islam Secondary School, it was revealed that the private educational institute building was constructed on an 80 square yard plot and it was situated in such a narrow lane that a four-wheeler could enter into the school. When this scribe requested to visit the school, the younger brother of owner Mukhtar stopped him from advancing further.
The parent of some students, who were standing outside the school, told this scribe that the school had only six room for Montessori to Matric level students and it worked in two shifts. They further said that the school was running on illegal connections of water and electricity and that there were no toilets available for the students and teaching staff.
When approached for comments, Mukhtar accepted that a female teacher of his school had beaten a student of class V with an iron rod. “We have directed the teacher not to attend the school, until the school management decided whether to pardon the mentioned teacher or terminate her services,” he added.
“We did not expel the affected student and if my mother sent him back to the house then I have no idea about the whole incident,” the school owner said, adding that “The child should attend school and he should appear in the final examination.” The school has all the basic facilities and someone has misguided you,” the school owner said in his defence.
When he was requested to provide a tour of the school, he turned down the request and disconnected the phone call by saying that he would call this scribe again.
In the absence of Directorate of Private Educational Institutions Sindh (DPEIS) Director Prof Mansoob Ahmed Siddiqui, DPEIS Deputy Director Zehra Mohsin was contacted instead and she condemned this barbaric act.
“We cannot allow physical punishment inflicted on students,” she added. “I will personally investigate this incident and the school management would be issued notices in this regard,” she vowed.
“We will also direct the management of all private educational institutions working in Sindh not to appoint such teachers at their schools in the future,” she said.
“The private schools have announced to keep educational institutes closed due to peaceful movement until arrest of the culprit involved in Abbas Town blast but when the schools would be reopened, the directorate would start investigation and take strict action against the people involved in this in this incident,” she asserted.
