A sensational video of girl students performing ‘baby shower’ for a fellow student recently has gone viral on Instagram, resulting in the suspension of the class teacher of a government school in Vellore district.
The reel shared on the social media site mimics the baby shower ceremony carried out with all the paraphernalia in the classroom. Fellow students are seen smearing sandal paste and putting tilak on the girl seated as the expectant mother with a paper garland. Curiously enough, the students had even published an invite for the occasion. The mock ceremony was performed during lunch- break and recorded by a mobile phone on August 19.
It all happened at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Kangeyanallur near Katpadi in the district. With the video going viral, there was uproar from the public, and the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Vellore, Manimozhi, cracked the whip, suspending the class teacher and issuing a notice seeking an explanation from the Head Master and other teachers on duty that particular day.
Besides suspending the class teacher, Chamundeeswari, the CEO has issued a circular to all government schools to routinely check the belongings of the students. Further, teachers have been directed to take lunch along with the students rather than having it separately. It may be recalled, that the Tamil Nadu government had barred students from bringing mobile phones to schools.
This comes close on the heels of a self-styled spiritual guru’s obscurantist speech invited for a motivational talk at two schools in Chennai, which had led to his arrest. In light of this incident, educational activists have urged the state government to take proactive measures to curb such activities in schools.