Bengaluru: A ten-year-old autistic child, who was a victim of corporal punishment at a private school in the city, is still waiting for justice, 15 days after the State Commissioner for Persons with Disability issued orders to fully reimburse the fees paid by the child’s parents and to relocate 23 children with disability enrolled in the school to nearby schools within 15 days.
The parents realised that their child was being subjected to corporal punishment after it used to return home with bruises. The mother, Ms Geetu Ahuja, had even filed a complaint with the Whitefield police.
On the status of the case, Ms Ahuja, said, “The order I received was dated August 6, 2019 and the school was expected to reimburse the fees paid within seven days of the order. But nothing has been done. Also, of the two teachers who subjected our child to punishment only one has been expelled, while the other continues to work in the same school. I am worried about the safety of the other children at that school.”
She has submitted a list of schools that engage in inclusive education to the commissioner.
Mr V.S. Basavaraju, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disability, said, “I am pursuing the issue and will follow it up with other officers. It will take some time as we have to talk to the parents and other educational institutions to accommodate 23 children. If the school doesn’t abide by the verdict, we will take legal action.”
On the role of Block Education Officer (BEO), he said, “The BEO should work as an educationist and not as an administrator. He is expected to guide, monitor, educate and understand that special children too belong to the educational cohort. He should conduct frequent checks to see whether an educational institution is functioning properly.”
He appealed to the parents not to get carried away by tall promises made by schools on their websites and to crosscheck with other parents and educational institutions. He suggested that the parents have the right to demand that the qualifications of the facilitators and tutors be presented in public domain.
