Humiliating student on stage: Kerala child rights panel books former edu minister
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) has registered a case against KT Jaleel, former Minister for Higher Education of Kerala on Monday, July 13, for allegedly humiliating school students in a public function. Jaleel, a four-time MLA had recently joined the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM).The suo motu action against Jaleel stemmed from a viral video showing him scolding and pinching the ear of a student on stage at a felicitation event in Mannarkkad in Palakkad district. The event was held to honour high-scoring SSLC Plus Two students.In the video, he asks a student to write in Hindi and later scolds the student for making mistakes. The video also shows him pinching the student's ear, all of this happening on the stage.The video invited widespread criticism, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), demanded an apology.Kerala Minister for Women and Child Development Bindu Krishna strongly condemned the act. “His behaviour toward the children was completely inappropriate and humiliating. In front of others, the child was insulted by being told that they didn't even know the alphabet, and I understand that the child's ear was pinched as well. Such behaviour is never acceptable. Children have rights, and those rights must be respected. They may not be fully aware of children's rights," she told the media. In response to the criticism, the student clarified that Jaleel had asked him to write some words in Hindi. When he made a mistake, Jaleel helped him as a teacher. The student emphasised that he had no issues with that. “We didn't feel it was an insult; he acted like a teacher,” one student stated in a video.Jaleel has denied the allegations. In a Facebook post, he emphasised his background in education, stating that he used to be a teacher who was always friendly with his students and wanted the best for them. “I do not believe in delivering boring, one-sided speeches at felicitation programs. Instead, I prefer to engage students and parents through interactive questions and conversations to identify both their strengths and weaknesses,” he said. Acknowledging that he held the student's ear, he explained, “I held the child’s ear while smiling, and the student was also smiling. Since the circulating video showed the child’s face blurred, it was not clear.”
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
THE Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) has registered a case against KT Jaleel, former Minister for Higher Education of Kerala on Monday, July 13, for allegedly humiliating school students in a public function.
Jaleel, a four-time MLA had recently joined the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM).
The suo motu action against Jaleel stemmed from a viral video showing him scolding and pinching the ear of a student on stage at a felicitation event in Mannarkkad in Palakkad district. The event was held to honour high-scoring SSLC Plus Two students.
In the video, he asks a student to write in Hindi and later scolds the student for making mistakes. The video also shows him pinching the student's ear, all of this happening on the stage.
The video invited widespread criticism, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), demanded an apology.
Kerala Minister for Women and Child Development Bindu Krishna strongly condemned the act.
“His behaviour toward the children was completely inappropriate and humiliating. In front of others, the child was insulted by being told that they didn't even know the alphabet, and I understand that the child's ear was pinched as well. Such behaviour is never acceptable. Children have rights, and those rights must be respected. They may not be fully aware of children's rights," she told the media.
In response to the criticism, the student clarified that Jaleel had asked him to write some words in Hindi. When he made a mistake, Jaleel helped him as a teacher. The student emphasised that he had no issues with that. “We didn't feel it was an insult; he acted like a teacher,” one student stated in a video.
Jaleel has denied the allegations. In a Facebook post, he emphasised his background in education, stating that he used to be a teacher who was always friendly with his students and wanted the best for them.
“I do not believe in delivering boring, one-sided speeches at felicitation programs. Instead, I prefer to engage students and parents through interactive questions and conversations to identify both their strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
Acknowledging that he held the student's ear, he explained, “I held the child’s ear while smiling, and the student was also smiling. Since the circulating video showed the child’s face blurred, it was not clear.”
