Accused teacher sackedAccused teacher sacked

Staff Correspondent

The students of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and their guardians went on demonstrations on all Dhaka campuses on Tuesday, protesting at sexual harassment of a student by her teacher.

The managing committee of the institution at a meeting on Tuesday terminated Parimal Jayadhar, a teacher of Boshudhara branch of the school, who reportedly abused a student.   

‘Managing committee members, all teachers and staff supported the termination. We do not want bad people to continue their job in our school,’ Husne Ara Begum, principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, told journalists at the school on Tuesday.

The committee also decided to suspend two other teachers — Barun Chandra Barman and Abul Kalam Azad — for sexually harassing students.

A three-member committee was formed to investigate the allegations against these teachers. The committee was asked to submit their report within one month.

Earlier, from the morning on the day, guardians and students brought out demonstrations in all branches of the institution, demanding punishment of Parimal, who reportedly abused a Class IX student who went to his house for private tuition.

Porimal allegedly recorded the incident in his mobile and threatened the victim saying he would post it on internet if she did not continue the physical relationship with him.

Guardians told New Age that the incident took place in early May and despite the victim’s allegation to the branch head, Lutfur Rahman, no step was taken against the teacher.

Rather, the branch head and the principal allegedly threatened the victim and her guardian not to tell it to anyone.

The guardians alleged that principal Husne Ara tried to delay the process to save the accused teacher.     

However, Husne Ara told journalists that she received written allegation from the victim last night.  

‘Last night we received allegation from the victim and then we took action,’ she said.

School sources told New Age that the description the victim wrote in her allegation drew a grim picture.

‘After reading the victim’s letter, I believe Porimal is mentally sick,’ said a teacher who read the letter.

The managing committee also decided to forward the written allegation to the law enforcement authorities and request to take action against the teacher.   

Meanwhile, different organisations condemned the incident and demanded punishment of the accused teacher.

Bangladesh Charttra Federation in a statement demanded punishment of the teacher.

‘The fact that school authorities tried to save the teacher prove that school authorities are responsible for such incidents. The school authorities will have to face trial,’ the statement read.