Coimbatore: A private school in Coimbatore enforced an archaic and severely discriminatory practice against a menstruating student of class 8. School authorities made a minor girl on her period take her annual exam outside the classroom, forcing her to sit on the steps.
According to Dynamite News correspondent, her mother, who allegedly requested the school to let her sit separately, captured the incident on camera. The School Education Department intervened, and the private school suspended the headmistress for violating the Right to Education Act. While the school claims the girl’s mother insisted on this arrangement, the mother asserts she only asked for her daughter to sit separately.
The School Education Minister emphasized "zero tolerance" for such acts. Unfortunately, such an incident occurred in an educational institution.
However, the Tamil Nadu Government has acted swiftly, conducting an inquiry and suspending the school’s headmistress," officials stated. The Education Minister reiterated that the Tamil Nadu Government would not tolerate such practices.
The Police have denied it as a case of untouchability but acknowledged it as a "primitive and regressive" act from a school expected to foster equality and scientific temper.
This shocking incident has sparked outrage, with the DMK-led government highlighting its swift response and commitment to women's empowerment. Yet, it deeply alarms us that such a case has emerged from Tamil Nadu, where school authorities allegedly forced a girl in her period to sit outside during an exam.
