Chennai: LKG boy stubbed with lit matchstick'

Chennai: Four-year-old Kumar (name changed), an LKG student of a private matriculation school, Tiruvottiyur, had a different story to tell his grandmother after returning home from school at 3.30 pm on Monday. Having failed to complete his homework over the weekend, he was punished for his lethargic behavior by his class teacher who chose to ensure he learn his lesson the hard way.

“When Kumar came home, he told my mother that his teacher had struck a match and stubbed his thighs with it as a punishment for not doing his homework,” said his father M.Suresh. “We were irked by this insensitivity on the teacher’s part and went to the school to interrogate the teacher,” he added.

The class teacher reportedly denied the allegation. The matter was then taken to the principal, who, in an attempt to save the school’s reputation, said the teacher has two children, implying she would never do such a thing.

“We needed to do something about it and thus took it to Tiruvottiyur police station. The principal kept insisting that we keep it away from the media as it could affect the school’s reputation,” said Suresh. She said they would ensure that the teacher is suspended. But when Suresh learnt that the teacher was having a 10-month-old infant and was feeding her, he decided to withdraw the complaint from the police station.

“Corporal punishment does not help in disciplining a child as against what many believe. It can often negatively affect a child’s self esteem and confidence. The child can even develop a feeling of hatred towards others or an anti-social behaviour,” said Irene George Fernandes, a counselling psychologist for Children’s Rights in Goa (CRG). It is very important to discipline a child in a positive way, she stressed.