Aggrieved locals confine teacher for hours

Aggrieved guardians kept a teacher of Balapukur Government Primary School in Aditmari upazila under the district confined to the office room for four hours yesterday as she mercilessly beat a student in the classroom.

The school managing committee members freed the teacher in the afternoon, giving assurance of justice in a meeting to be held today.

Teacher Mukta Banu beat Class V student Shanta Akhter, 11, yesterday noon as punishment for three days' absence, school sources said.

As Shanta fell sick, the matter was spread among the guardians and locals.

Shanta's father Nazrul Islam of Balapukur village and other students' guardians rushed to the school and confined the teacher for four hours from 12:30pm to 4:30pm.

Mukta Banu often beats the students in the classrooms although three other teachers of the school do not, students said.

Several guardians said their repeated request to Mukta Banu not to beat the students earlier fell into deaf ears.

Contacted, Mukta Banu said, "I gave mild punishment to the student as she was absent for three days. I did it for her betterment.”

School managing committee Chairman Abdul Jalil said, "It is bad to beat students in the classroom. Schoolteachers, managing committee members and students' guardians will sit tomorrow [Thursday] for settlement of the matter."