Teacher beats up minor for parents' denial to private tuition classes

At a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is trying to ensure that best education is given in private schools at an affordable price, a teacher of one such institution has allegedly beaten up a six-year-old student after his parents refused to send him to her private coaching.

The parents have lodged a complaint with the school authorities and threatened to move the court if actions are not taken against the teacher.

The parents alleged that the teacher of the school situated in Central Kolkata had targeted their son and often punished him when he failed to answer any question asked by her in the class.

Recently, the teacher had allegedly asked the boy to tell his parents that he should join her private coaching.

The quantum of corporal punishment went up when the parents refused to send him to her coaching.

The teacher had recently hit the boy on his face with a pencil box which caused a cut below the left eyebrow.

The parents alleged that their ward had developed some kind of phobia and refused to go to school.

The principal said: "We are all human beings and everybody suffers from stress and strain." However, she assured that action would be taken against the teacher if she is found guilty.

Educationist and scholar Nrishingha Prasad Bhaduri said such a behavior on the part of a teacher "was uncalled for".

Another educationist who refused to be quoted said that there are allegations that teachers of many private schools are often found to pull up students who refuse to join their private coaching classes. The parents succumb to the pressure of the teachers fearing that their wards will get less marks in examinations if they do not accept the latter's proposal.