Government school in Kirugunda.
Credit: Special Arrangement.
Mudigere: Three teachers from Kirugunda Government School have been suspended for misconduct, accused of fighting in front of students and neglecting their duties.
Kamalamma, Veena, and Sushila, teachers at Kirugunda Government Higher Primary School were accused of fighting in front of students.
The trio has been suspended by DDPI G K Puttaraju for engaging in a fight during duty hours in front of students, leading to negligence of their responsibilities.
The teachers were reportedly irresponsible, frequently arguing instead of teaching, and distancing themselves from all school activities.
They allegedly brought a vegetable vendor's vehicle into the school premises under the pretext of purchasing vegetables for the midday meal and allegedly stole food grains and milk powder packets.
In January, these items were found stored in another room by the then Block Education Officer Hemant Chandra, who discovered the theft in front of the public.
The head teacher was transferred to another school following this incident. In June, when the head teacher Kamalamma returned, she continued the disputes.
Despite the overgrown bushes in the school premises, they were not cleared, allowing pests to enter the area. The lack of a door in the restroom caused difficulties for female students.
Due to the lack of teaching, parents transferred their children to other schools, reducing the student count from 150 to 34.
When parents, SDMC members, and villagers visited the school premises, the Head teacher recorded videos on her mobile phone and threatened villagers with police complaints.
SDMC members held monthly meetings, but the decisions were not recorded in the logbook, leading to further negligence.
A village meeting discussed the issue, resulting in a decision to suspend the three teachers.
Following complaints from SDMC and parents, an investigation was conducted twice by education department officials, who submitted a report.
Based on the report, DDPI G K Puttaraju prepared a suspension order for the three teachers on Monday, but it was withheld at the last moment.
Angered by this, villagers planned to protest and decided not to send their children to the school.
SDMC members were also prepared to resign collectively. Recognizing the escalating situation, authorities issued the suspension orders to the three teachers on Thursday.