A teacher of a government-aided school was placed under suspension on Friday for allegedly punishing a student for refusing to sing prayer hymns in Salem.
At a government-aided girl’s higher secondary school at Nethimedu in Salem Corporation, Class VIII teacher, Jayarose, reportedly asked the students to sing five hymns praising Jesus Christ and Mary on Wednesday. When a 12-year-old student did not sing the hymns, the teacher questioned her and allegedly made her stand for five periods. The girl became sick and in the evening, another teacher gave her water and made her sit.
The teacher allegedly threatened the girl not to apply holy ash and kumkum on her forehead and said she would remove it using a blade. The teacher also circulated an audio in the parents’ WhatsApp group praising Christians and Britishers. The BJP took up the issue with Collector R. Brindha Devi on Thursday, who instructed the School Education Department to conduct an inquiry.
Based on the instruction, the District Education Officer (DEO) for Secondary Education, Narasimman, visited the school on Thursday and conducted an inquiry with the teacher and the school administration. The DEO also inquired the student and got a written statement from the student about the incident. The DEO submitted a report to the Chief Educational Officer (CEO), Kabeer.
On Friday, the school administration suspended Ms. Jayarose. When contacted, the CEO confirmed the suspension. “As this is a minority institution, only the school correspondent can suspend the teacher. The correspondent also submitted a report to the Department,” the CEO added.
Published – October 31, 2025 07:26 pm IST
