Days after at least 17 students of Class VII were allegedly left locked within the premises of a government primary girls school in Kheda, the District Primary Education Officer Friday started a probe into the matter. A complaint in connection with the case was filed by parents of one of the students.
The incident took place on December 10 at the Navagam Primary Girls School — run by the Kheda District School Board — when the teachers locked the premises and left, allegedly without ascertaining if all students had left the classrooms during the 5pm dispersal. According to the district administration officials, about 17 students of Class VII had not left when the teachers allegedly locked the premises.
“According to a complaint received from a parent, at 5pm on December 10, five teachers left without conducting a check of all classrooms. About 17 students of Class VII, located on the first floor, had not vacated their classroom,” said an official.
“When these students came to the gate, they realised that it was locked…” the official said on the condition of anonymity. The students then raised an alarm and shouted for help, following which the local residents arrived at the spot.
“Later, the school keys were arranged and the gates were opened. Both the children and their parents panicked due to the situation. This happened because the teachers were in a hurry to leave and did not think it was necessary to check the classrooms. Luckily, they (the children) were together and no untoward incident occurred,” the parent of one of the students, who was among those left behind in school, told The Indian Express.
School headmistress Bhagirathi Prajapati said that the teachers have been issued a ‘show-cause notice’ in connection with the matter.
In a statement, Prajapati said, “We have asked the teachers to explain this irresponsible act. They should have checked the classrooms to ensure that no one is left behind. We will initiate the necessary action once they have put forth their side of the story.”
Meanwhile, the Kheda District Education Officer Kamlesh Vaghela has directed the DPEO to conduct an investigation and submit a report into the matter.
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