Class 2 girl left locked in classroom; headmaster, 4 teachers suspended

Bulandshahr, Sep 30: A class 2 student of a government school here was left locked in the classroom, a senior official said on Friday. The school’s headmaster, four teachers, two Shiksha Mitras and an office help have been suspended, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), BK Sharma said.

A purported video of the girl crying inside the classroom and asking for help surfaced on social media. On Thursday the student of Sanvilian Vidyalaya located in Segda Pir area was left behind locked in the school, Sharma said.

When the girl did not return home, the family launched a search and the child was found when people heard her cries coming from the school, he said. The school staff was called to open the classroom and the child was brought out, the BSA said.

There was a block-level union election in the area on Thursday and the teachers had left early for it, he said, adding the headmaster also left the school after that, leaving the students with the office help.

Sharma said this is a matter of grave negligence on the part of the school and action against the entire school staff will be taken. Earlier this month, a seven-year-old girl had remained locked up in a school in Sambhal district for 18 hours after the staff went home without checking if any child was left behind. The incident had come to light only when the school opened the next morning.