Kerala: Protest over transfer of teacher for delay in opening of gate for minister

Climbing down from his tough stand against the headmistress, who has been under treatment for brain fungus for the last four years, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday said she can move appeal and the transfer was not punitive in nature.

Education Minister Rabb was slated to attend the district-level inauguration of an English club at the school by State Institute of English at 9. 30 am on June 16.

After waiting for the minister and his entourage until 11.30 am, the headmistress went back to her office to attend official meetings after assigning the reception duty to the additional headmistress. When the minister reached the school at 12.30 pm, he was irked by seeing the closed gate of the girls’ school. The gate was opened by the minister’s security staff.

Later, during the function at the school, Devi, in her address, raised the point that programmes attended by VIPs should be organized in such a manner that it wouldn’t disrupt class hours.

“I haven’t criticized the minister. What I had raised was the concern about students losing their academic hours due the failure of the organizers. The organizers, the State Institute of English, should have arranged the function in a such manner,’’ said Devi.

On June 20, she got a show cause notice from the education department seeking explanation on why the school gate remained closed when the minister arrived, and why she spoke against the minister for showing up late to the function. Although the notice sought a reply from the headmistress within 15 days, the department transferred her earlier this week. The headmistress, who has only a year’s service left, was shunted out to a school 45 km away from state capital.

CPI (M) legislator V Shivankutty, who raised the issue in the assembly, said the minister was showing his pettiness by transferring the teacher. He asked whether the gates of the girls’ school should be kept open during the school hours.

Minister Rabb said the headmistress was transferred based on inquiry report, which said she had failed in discharging her duties as a headmistress and maintaining the school discipline.

Rabb said he had to wait at the school gate for quite some time before his security personnel opened it.

“I had sought apology for being late at the event. But the headmistress tried to blow up the issue in a manner insulting me,” he said.

Devi said she was targeted because she belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.

“I am the first Dalit to become the headmistress of this school (one of the largest in Kerala in terms of student numbers). Many PTA members could not stomach a Dalit as a school headmistress. I was transferred on health grounds. It is cruel that a disciplinary action was taken without hearing my side of the story,’’ said Devi.

Devi, who moved an appeal in the state administrative tribunal against the transfer, said no one told her that a school headmistress should receive a minister at the gate.

On Thursday, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan said the government should revoke the transfer of the headmistress. The minister had violated the Assembly speaker’s ruling against attending functions while the assembly in session, said VS.