Jul 22, 2024 06:05 PM IST
The two Class III students had gone to a nearby ditch to attend nature’s call as the school toilets were allegedly locked
The Bihar education department has suspended the headmaster and withheld the salary of all the teachers at a school in Purnea district after two girl students were drowned to death in a nearby ditch during schooltime on Saturday, officials said.
The two Class III students of Alinagar Middle School-2, falling under Krtiyanand Nagar block, had gone to the ditch to attend nature’s call as the school toilets were allegedly locked.
District education officer (DEO) Shiv Nath Rajak told HT over phone that the headmaster of the school Chandra Shekhar Thakur was suspended the same day and a three-member team led by DPO (district project officer) was asked to visit the school and submit a probe report.
The team visited the school on Monday and the report is likely to be submitted within one or two days.
The DEO said locking the school toilets during school hours was tantamount to defying the department’s directive. “We’ll take further action on the basis of the probe report,” he added.
On Sunday, a letter issued from the office of the district programme officer (DPO) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Kaushal Kumar, said that all the teachers are equally responsible for the conduct of school, and recommended for departmental action against all the nine teachers present in the school and withheld their salaries with immediate effect.
The teachers have been asked to submit their explanation within 24 hours.