Chennai: The Teachers Joint Action Committee, comprising members from various teachers’ associations, has demanded a thorough investigation into recent cases filed under the POCSO Act against teachers on exam duty.
The demand follows multiple incidents, including the arrest of a 44-year-old teacher who was on invigilation duty for the Class 12 public examination in Krishnagiri.
The teacher was reportedly taken into custody after a student accused him of misconduct.
However, the associations claim that some teachers are being unfairly accused of harassment simply for reprimanding students caught engaging in malpractice during the examinations.
In response, the committee has urged the School Education Department to install CCTV cameras in all examination halls for Classes 10, 11, and 12.
According to the associations, the installation of cameras would ensure transparency, safeguard both students and teachers, and help determine the facts in such incidents.
R. Srinivasan, State Legal Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Headmasters’ Association, reiterated the importance of CCTV surveillance.
He said that it would be unfair if teachers are framed for misconduct while merely performing their duty and added that a proper probe has to be conducted to ascertain whether the teachers were being framed or not.
The Directly Recruited Post Graduate Teachers’ Association (DRPGTA) also weighed in, criticising the arrest in Krishnagiri as unjust and lacking proper evidence.
It may be recalled that in another incident reported in Tirupur, a private school teacher, Sampath Kumar, was arrested under the POCSO Act on March 25.
He was serving as an invigilator at the government higher secondary school in Vengamedu, where students from both government and private institutions were taking their Class 12 final exam.
Reports allege that Kumar repeatedly inspected six female students under the pretext of checking for hidden cheating materials, leading to accusations of inappropriate behaviour.
In a separate case from March 18, Ramesh, a 44-year-old teacher from the Government Higher Secondary School in Vepanahalli, was arrested under the POCSO Act. He was on invigilation duty in the Bargur block when a girl student accused him of inappropriate touching during the examination.
A second student from the same exam hall also made a similar allegation.
The matter was reported to the Bargur All Women Police Station, following which Ramesh was questioned and arrested on March 19.
The teachers’ associations continue to call for objective enquiries and stronger preventive measures, emphasising the need to protect the rights and dignity of both students and teachers.
(IANS)
