In a disturbing incident, a school principal bit and assaulted another junior teacher when she was caught getting facial beauty treatment in school on the camera. The incident happened on Thursday in Basic Primary School located in Dandamau village in the Bighapur police area of Unnao district. The junior teacher, Aman Khan, filed a complaint. The video of the incident is going viral on the internet.
As per the reports, Aman Khan posted the viral video which not only shows the principal getting the facial but also the injuries that Khan incurred. She alleged, "Head teacher Sangeeta Singh arrived and instead of starting work, she went to the school kitchen to get a facial from a trainee teacher."
When Khan tried to oppose Singh and make a video, the head teacher bit her hand and stomach and broke her mobile phone. Bighapur police station in-charge Rajpal has registered a case of assault, threat and damaging of personal belongings against Sangeeta Singh.
Rajpal said, “The injured assistant teacher was sent for medical treatment. Dr Poonam Gupta said the injured teacher had been sent to Unnao for an ultrasound test of the bite injury on the stomach."
The grim reality of the education system in rural India
It is sad to see the grim reality of schools in villages. The amount of time the principal and the trainee teacher took to get a facial could have been used to teach some lessons to the students. Moreover, the teacher who got injured for her firm objection could have been an asset to the school.
Even though half of the population of India resides in rural areas, not much attention is paid to the education system of the villages. As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) of 2023, students aged 14-18 years old are still struggling with basic reading and maths skills. 43 per cent of the students in undergraduate cannot solve basic division problems. 25 per cent of students couldn't read 2nd standard books in their regional language and only 43 per cent could solve basic division problems. Who is responsible for this? The government? The teachers? or the students?
Teachers either prefer to get posted in urban areas for a lucrative job or remain absent in the village schools. This news of a principal ignoring her duties and assaulting the one who is opposing her shows a lack of seriousness towards the duties. If teachers do not work hard and encourage the students in the village to study, how will the education system in the rural areas improve?
The role of teachers in building the future of rural children
Of course government too is responsible for the lack of infrastructure, low salaries of the teachers and weak administration that doesn't care about the proper functioning of the schools. But then, teachers who are hired to teach rural children need to understand their responsibility. They are not just a paid employee. Rather, they are the medium through which the rural children will grow and have a bright future.
The irresponsibility of the head teacher and her unruly behaviour must be condemned and should be used as an eye-opener towards the grim reality of the education system in rural India.
Views expressed are the author's own.
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