Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): On the eve of Teachers’ Day, students of Sarojini Naidu Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Bhopal rose up in protest on Wednesday claiming that they were forced to clean premises and classrooms, mow the lawn and face harsh punishments for minor infractions, including standing in the baking sun if they are even five minutes late to class by a newly-appointed teacher. Following the protest, school administration removed the teacher.
Hundreds of girls gathered at the campus and raised slogans, seeking action against new teacher Varsha Jha. The students also demolished her office. During the protest, a few students fainted and two of them were rushed to nearby hospital.
As protest intensified, Bhopal Central MLA Arif Masood reached the spot and announced that Jha was removed following his intervention. Later, the teacher also apologised to the girls. State Education Minister, Uday Pratap Singh, said via X (formerly Twitter) that I have come to know about the protest held at Sarojini Naidu Girls School and will take action against those who are involved in this. He further said that the department will conduct a high-level investigation of this matter.
The students accused the teacher of harsh punishments. A student of class 11th said “Even if we arrive five minutes late, the teacher does not allow us to enter the class. She makes us stand out in the ground for one to two hours”. She further said, “Ma’am humse class mein safai karwati hain, ground par ghaas katwati hain, pathar uthwati hain. Fir humse bolti hain ki tumhari school mein padhne ki aukaat hai kya (Our teacher makes us clean the campus, cut the garden. She even asks if we can afford to study in a school).”
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Some students were quoted by local media as also complaining about timings; school finishes at 6 pm, they said, which makes it difficult for some girls who live far away. Another spoke of punishments that affected students' health and criticised teachers' for dismissing such concerns.
The police were also summoned. Mayur Khandelwal, the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Habibganj, said, "We were informed of protests by girl students that could lead to a law-and-order situation. A team was sent to calm things down and persuade the girls to end the protest."
Director of Madhya Pradesh Open School Board PR Tiwari, who met the protesting students sought a month’s time, stating they would fix everything. He also sent Jha on indefinite leave.
District Education Officer of Bhopal, NK Ahirwar, said, “I got to know about the situation only on Wednesday. We have decided to remove the accused teacher from duty and will personally resolve the other issues faced by the students.”
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No appointment letter
Sarojini Naidu Girls Higher Secondary Schools is one of the 52 schools run by the State Open School Board (MPSOS). The appointment of Varsha Jha was done by Sainik School Kalyan Board. She is a retired captain from the Army. According to sources, almost a month has passed since her appointment, but still her appointment letter was not issued, and MPSOS didn’t inform DPI about her joining.
