“Controversy unfolds: Teacher dismissed from school amidst allegations of anti-Hindu remarks”

PTI, Feb 13, 2024, 8:59 AM IST

A private school in the city has dismissed a teacher accused of hurting religious sentiments of her students after an uproar by right wing activists and BJP leaders over the issue, authorities said on Tuesday.

The action by the management of St Georosa Higher Primary School here followed complaints from the parents of a class VII student and BJP leaders.

The parents of a student on Monday lodged a complaint at the Mangaluru South police station seeking action against the teacher who allegedly used derogatory words while speaking about Hindu Gods during a class on ‘work is worship.’ BJP MLAs Bharat Y Shetty and Vedavyas Kamath had taken up the issue and demanded stringent action against the teacher or else face protests.

It is not the first time that certain schools are spreading anti-Hindu sentiments among students, Shetty said in a statement.

He also urged Hindus to reconsider enrolling their children in schools run by Christian managements.

It is alleged that the teacher told the students that Mahabharat and Ramayana were ‘imaginary’ and tried to induce ‘anti-Hindu’ feelings among children.

In a letter addressed to the parents of the school late on Monday night, the St Georsa School management said the teacher is being removed from her position and a new teacher will be appointed in her place.

The letter emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive relationship with children and parents to ensure uninterrupted academic studies. To address the incident, the accused teacher has been immediately removed from the institution, and a replacement teacher will be appointed promptly, it said.

The decision to remove the teacher aims to facilitate a thorough and unbiased inquiry into the matter by the district education department, the letter said, and offered full cooperation from the school management for the ongoing inquiry by authorities, the letter from the school said.

”St Gerosa School, with a 60-year history, has not witnessed such an incident before. The institution is committed to upholding constitutional values, treating all faiths and communities with equality.

”Despite the temporary mistrust resulting from this unfortunate incident, the school is optimistic that the decisive measures taken, coupled with active cooperation from parents, will contribute to rebuilding trust and fostering a brighter future for all students,” the school management said in the letter.