On a day when the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a statement “regretting” the incident in Kannur (Kerala) where a 19-year old NEET aspirant was asked to remove her undergarments minutes before the medical entrance examination, the school management suspended four teachers who were found responsible for the same.
The teachers—Sheeja, Shafeena, Bindu, Sahina—have been suspended for one month. According to the CBSE school authorities, the four teachers have been found guilty in the initial investigation.
The suspension comes amid widespread protest against the incident. Initially, the school management tried to justify the incident saying they were merely following the CBSE instructions. “We have clear instructions that if the metal detector beeps, no one can be allowed inside. Whenever it beeped, we told students to remove what they have,” Principal Jalaluddin K. said yesterday.
The incident, a fallout of stringent measures followed to keep a check on cheating and irregularities during the national medical entrance examination, even found its way to the state assembly today. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the incident a “violation of human rights”. He said the government has asked the police to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, earlier the day, the CBSE issued a statement regretting the incident. It said what happened was “unfortunate and a consequence of few overzealous persons involved in the process”. The CBSE also regretted the “inconvenience” caused to the students “inadvertently” in the process.
The CBSE statement has come in the backdrop of the state human rights commission seeking explanation from the regional centre. “We had alerted the seriousness of the issue to the headquarters. Now, further steps will be taken after the inquiry report is filed,” an official at the CBSE told THE WEEK.
The CBSE has a dress code to prevent cheating, which mentions that a candidate is not allowed to wear full-sleeve shirt, shoes, big buttons, brooches, heeled shoes for female candidates, and kurta-pyjama.
“The board has exactly followed the directions of the honourable Supreme Court. Candidates were repeatedly instructed through information bulletin, website, printed instructions on admit card and individual communication through emails/SMS about precautions to be taken before entering exam hall,” the CBSE statement said further.
