1 week Ago By EdexLive Desk
On Wednesday, April 9, a Class VIII student at a private school in Coimbatore was allegedly denied access to her classroom to take an exam because she was menstruating. The incident came to light after a video surfaced on social media showing the student, from the Arunthathiyar community (Scheduled Caste - SC), taking her exam seated on a staircase at Swamy Chidbhavananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Senguttaipalayam, stated a report by The Newsminute . The minor's mother allegedly recorded the video, in which the girl claims that after her class teacher told the principal that she was menstruating, they decided to have her sit outside the classroom and take her exam.
She added that this wasn’t the first time — she had also been made to write an exam on the staircase on April 7. A woman who appears to be the girl's mother is heard behind the camera asking, “If someone gets their period, does that mean they cannot sit inside the classroom and write their exams? Should they sit on the road and write?” The Coimbatore rural police launched an investigation after the incident. The District Education Officer (DEO) also sent a show-cause letter to the school administration.
"Strict action will be taken in accordance with the law once the investigation is finished and a report is submitted," stated G Pavankumar, the district collector for Coimbatore. The school responded to the DEO's show-cause letter by stating that M Anandhi, the principal, had been temporarily suspended. According to the school's correspondent, the student's mother had asked the school on April 6 to let her daughter take the test alone because she was getting her period for the first time.
However, the school asserted that the mother made the video and questioned the administration on April 9 after noticing that the daughter was forced to sit on a stairway rather than inside the classroom as she had requested. The minor's mother had asked the school to let her daughter take her exams separately, according to Shristi Singh, the assistant superintendent of police in Pollachi, Coimbatore, who also spoke to the media. The principal of the school supported the request after it was made.
Despite growing awareness, menstrual seclusion persists in various parts of Tamil Nadu, reflecting deep-seated taboos surrounding menstruation..
