Teacher sprays surface cleaner on student's private parts, Maharashtra govt shuts down school

A teacher from Howard English School in Mumbai's Nallasopara reportedly sprayed Colin on the private parts of a class 2 student.

According to a report in Mirror Now, the State Education Department has ordered to shut down the school after it was revealed that there were serious problems in running it including its operations, staff qualifications, and governance.

The child's mother Sonal Randive (38) claimed that the gruesome incident took place on April 29 in the school where her eight-year-old had been enrolled.

The mother asserted that only three students were present in the classroom that day and the teacher, who has been identified as Nidah Nizauddin complained about odour in the room.

She told the publication that though his son denied not being the reason for the odour, the teacher allegedly sprayed the cleaning solution directly on his private parts.

The teacher brushed the incident of as a joke despite the kid crying due to the humiliation.

The incident came to light on July 23 when the distraught child's parents filed a complaint and demanded an apology from the teacher.

"I immediately raised the issue with the school principal, Heena Sayyed, but she brushed it off, calling the teacher ‘immature’ and incapable of handling such situations," Sonal was quoted as saying by Mirror Now publication

"When I questioned how someone so ‘immature’ could be appointed as a class teacher for second grade, she had no response. When I further asked about the teacher’s qualifications, she said that small schools like theirs didn’t require teachers to have a B Ed degree."

Sonal also spoke about lack of formal administrative structure at the school as it was being run only the principal Sayyed and another person named Shariq Khwaja, saying, "In the past three years, I’ve only seen these two managing all school operations."

The mother also claimed that when she approached Khwaja, he denied discussing anything unless the pending school fee for six months was paid to clear accounts.

The teacher however told the publication that the incident was a mistake and refused the intentional targeting of the child.

She said, "It was a mistake. There was a foul smell in the classroom, and I used the spray to neutralise it. The boy was standing close, and I accidentally sprayed it on his pants."

Madhav Mate, Deputy Education Officer of the Palghar District Secondary Education Department has assured that the matter is being probed.

"We've received multiple complaints about Howard English School. I've already spoken with Principal Sayyed and asked her to submit all required documents. I've warned that strict action will be taken if any violations or misconduct are found," Madhav was quoted as saying by the publication.