The mother of a nine-year-old student of Juhu’s Jamnabai Narsee International School has complained to the Maharashtra education department that the institute has been “insensitive” towards her daughter who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and subjected her to corporal punishment.
The mother of the Std IV student has also alleged that she was humiliated when she visited the school to speak to the teacher about her daughter’s ailment. Due to her condition, the girl had missed school from September 17 to 24. The mother could not sent a paediatrician’s certificate since the girl was under homeopathic medication. “On September 30, I got a call from the principal regarding the medical certificate. After explaining to her, she agreed to accept a medical certificate from the the homeopathy doctor. Despite the call from principal and a note to the teacher my daughter was punished and made to sit out of the class for four hours,” said the mother.
In her letter to the deputy director of education, Mumbai, the mother said, “The reason given to her by the teacher was that she has a disease and according to the school’s policy she won’t be allowed to sit in the class as the other kids are at threat from her. IBS is not contagious.” Under stress due to the incident, the child could not attend school a day later. “She was feeling very humiliated and embarrassed. She was made to sit out on the floor when she was still in her recovery period. She came home she broke down and complained of backache and leg cramps,” stated the mother in her complaint. The mother has also registered a complaint with the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
Her ordeal was far from over, claimed the mother. “The principal was unaware that the coordinator had punished my child. After complaining to the school’s founders I was assured that she would not be meted such treatment. The principal later apologized.”
However, when the girl complained of stomach ache once again some days later, the mother returned to school to speak to the teacher. “Students have a 45 minutes lunch break but get only 15 minutes to eat and are expected to play for the remainder of the period. They need to climb four floors to return to the classroom. This was causing her cramps. So when I visited the school on October 9 to request teachers to allow her the 45-minute break, the coordinator started humiliating me,” said the mother. “The principal once again apologized on the coordinator’s behalf but it seems the school could not honour its earlier promise,” she added.