4 teachers suspended for asking female candidates to remove innerwear before sitting in NEET exam
Four teachers of a school at Kunhimangalam in Kannur, Kerala, were suspended pending inquiry into an alleged incident of removal of inner wear of a student before she appeared for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on May 7.
Officials of the TISK English Medium School at Kovvappuram in Kunhimangalam said the teachers allegedly responsible for the incident on Sunday morning were suspended by the school management for one month. Teachers Sheeja, Shafeena, Bindu and Shahina were in charge of enforcing the dress code of the aspirants who appeared for the examination.
Other women candidates also faced a similar harrowing experience, according to several media reports.
After the candidate gave the the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) — conducted for admission to undergraduate medical courses in government and private medical colleges in the country — she told media persons she was asked to remove her innerwear by the examination centre’s officials.
“My daughter went inside the centre, only to return later and hand me her top innerwear,” said her mother. Another candidate was reportedly asked to cut the pockets off her jeans. Her father said, “I went to a shop about three km away from the exam centre and bought a new dress for her after getting the shop opened.”
Those living in the vicinity of the school where the NEET centre was set up came forward to help candidates by giving them suitable clothes to wear.
“I know of a Muslim family which gave six tops to candidates to wear. Even more shocking was the fact that authorities did not permit anyone to wear full-sleeved top. Those wearing such sleeves had to cut it to make it short-sleeved,” said another harried parent.
“The ordeal is over but it’s debatable how many female candidates would have been able to write the exam properly after they were subjected to so much humiliation. I will write to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seek action against those responsible,” said state Mahila Congress president Bindhu Krishna.
The Centre Board of Secondary Education organised the 2017 NEET on Sunday in as many as 104 cities across the country, for which more than 11 lakh aspirants had registered.
