Minister warns against corporal punishment

CHENNAI: Strongly denouncing corporal punishment meted out to a 13-year-old student in a private school, Minister for School Education C Ve Shanmugam said on Sunday that  a  probe was on into the incident.He warned of stern action against both schools and teachers if they resorted to the uncivilised practice of caning and flogging on any pretext. M Deepak, a student of Class IX in a private school in Thoraipakkam here, was hurt in the eye when his teacher allegedly caned him on Thursday last for “talking” in class. A police complaint was later lodged by the  boy’s parents.  “The school has also initiated action. They have sacked the teacher,” the minister said. Following repeated incidents of corporal punishment, the TN government had repealed Rule 51 of the Tamil Nadu Education Rules that allowed corporal punishment under certain specified circumstances.