Theni district has three education districts namely Theni, Periyakulam and Uthamapalaiyam. Of these, more than 900 are government schools, government aided schools and private schools. In Theni district, which has about one and a half lakh students, there are more than ten thousand teachers.
In this situation, teachers working in Theni High School have been accused of being attacked by students. About 900 students are studying in the government high school in Devadanapatti under the Periyakulam education district. It is said that some of the eleventh grade students in the school have been threatening the teachers for the last few days.
A student who was under the influence of alcohol is said to have spoken inappropriate words to a public school female teacher. The student, who came to the school for the second day in a row for reprimanding the student, allegedly threatened the teacher with a knife and some people from the same town in support of the student.
Students have similarly threatened teachers at a government high school in G.Kallupatti. Students have also threatened teachers at a government high school in Thevaram in the Uththamapalaiyam education district with scythes in the past few days.
Affected teachers have appealed to the Primary Education Officer to condemn the extraordinary situation prevailing in government schools in Theni district and to demand job security for themselves. The Tamil Nadu Post Graduate Teachers’ Association of Theni district took part in the struggle in support of them. They sat on the ground in front of the district’s primary education officer’s office and complained that they were not protected in schools and should be given proper protection. Senthivel Murugan, Principal Education Officer, then called the union administrators and the affected teachers and asked for details.
“Schools have reopened this year, two years after the outbreak of coronavirus. They could not accept it because the social environment they were in during these two years and the environment outside was currently controlling after school opening. Teachers have thus been treated with disrespect and in some places attacked. That too is a public school in certain towns, and only a few students there are involved in such activities.