4 teachers suspended for NEET dress code excesses

Sorry, won't happen again, says CBSE

Four teachers in Kerala were on Tuesday suspended for getting a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test candidate to remove her inner wear before letting her enter the test hall on Sunday.

In Delhi, the Central Board of Secondary Education described the teachers as ‘overzealous’ and promised not to put candidates through such humiliation again.

TISK English Medium School suspended teachers Shafeena, Sheeja, Bindu and Shahina for a month. NEET is held across India to determine admissions to medical and dental colleges. Insensitive enforcement of dress regulations had triggered a furore on Sunday.

The CBSE directed the principal of the Kannur school to tender “an unconditional apology” to the girl who had to discard her bra after a metal hook set off an alarm.

Speaking in the Assembly, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the police would act against the excesses.  Legislators from all parties condemned the incident in Kannur.  Members of the CPM-affiliated Democratic Youth Federation of India took out a protest march to the school.  On Monday, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission registered a suo motu case.

Case near Kochi

Police in Kuruppumpady near Kochi on Tuesday registered a case based on a complaint by Rajath, a candidate from Payyannur in Kannur. Invigilators had forced him to cut off his shirt’s long  sleeve. NEET guidelines say candidates in full-sleeved shirts and T-shirts can’t take the test.

School’s defence

Jalaluddin, the principal of the school where the girl had to take off her bra before she could write the test, told DH she was only “informed” she wouldn’t be allowed in, and not told to remove her inner wear.
This medical seat aspirant wasn’t the only one facing insensitive invigilators.

Students wearing jeans were made to snip off pockets with metal buttons, and those in long-sleeved tops had to cut off their sleeves.

The CBSE acted swiftly to control the damage caused by dress regulation excesses, especially in Kerala.
“The incident reported at TISK English Medium School, Kovvapuram, Kannur, is very unfortunate and apparently due to... (a) few overzealous female frisking staff,” the CBSE said.