Kids barred from exam & asked to stand outside in heat

Two second-standard students, aged seven, were not allowed to write annual examinations and were forced to stand outside the classroom at a private school at Aluva in Ernakulam district in Kerala, despite the extreme hot climate and heatwave warning prevailing in the state.

The police registered a case against the school authorities under the Juvenile Justice Act. The Kerala Human Rights Commission also took suo motu case on the matter and sought an explanation from the Kerala government education department on Thursday.

The inhuman incident took place at Karumaloor Settlement Higher Secondary School at Alangad in Aluva on Wednesday. The children’s parents defaulted payments of one month's tuition fee and school bus fee amounting to around Rs 800 each. On Wednesday as the school’s annual examinations were going on, the two children hailing from the nearby locality, were not allowed to write the examination and were made to stand outside the classroom for nearly two hours. The incident came to light after the children returned home in a pale condition and told the matter to their parents.

Aluva-west police station house officer Vinesh Kumar said that on a preliminary verification it was found that the two children were not allowed to examination and were made to stand out of the classroom.

A case was registered against the school headmistress Kavitha under section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act for punishment for cruelty towards children, which could attract up to a three-year jail term and Rs. one lakh fine. The headmistress seemed to have acted as per the direction of the school management and hence the management authorities are also likely to be arraigned after a further probe.

The incident assumed much seriousness as Kerala is now facing acute summer and the government even cautioned people from getting exposed to sunlight during the day time. About 500 persons suffered sunburns and heat rashes during the last few weeks in Kerala and even a couple of suspected sunstroke deaths were also reported. A heatwave alert is also prevailing in the state till Saturday.