SL: SEE HOW SINHALA INJUSTICE WORKS!!!

INNOCENTS WEEP AS INJUSTICE REIGNS

Teacher’s beating nearly blinds 14-year-old student: School authorities punish the blameless.

By Jamila Najmuddin

This is a tragic tale of a child, who without having committed a crime has been disgraced and shunned by society. Yearning for an education, this child who is just a year away from sitting for her GCE O’ Level examinations is now left without a school, to suffer at home, away from her friends and books.

This country, which she hoped to serve someday after completing her education has betrayed her and given her punishment so cruel, that all other children her age pray that the same fate does not befall them. Unable to fulfill her parents’ expectations, her family who has been seeking justice ever since the day tragedy befell their daughter, vow to fight on till justice is achieved. “I will continue to fight. My daughter has been at home for a year now as no school in this country is willing to take her. What has she done to earn such a cruel punishment?” a grieved father said.

For fourteen year old Nirmani Ranatunga, life is nothing but a dark tunnel. Having been beaten by a teacher, she is now paying a penalty for having spoken the truth. However, it is odd to note that it is in our very so called ‘leading’ schools that children are taught to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. In fact punishments are granted to those who lie and cheat, but in this case, the tale is just the opposite.

Teacher runs amok

It all began on September 12, last year when Nirmani, who was a student of a leading girls school in Borella, was seated in her classroom along with her classmates. As no teacher was present, the children were in a joyous mood to be left alone for a few minutes. Nirmani, who sat in the front of her class was speaking to her friends, when suddenly one of her teachers walked in. Nirmani, who was known for her good behaviour stood up at once, as a mark of respect to the teacher who had just walked in. However her good manners did not get her far for soon after the teacher walked in, she begun beating Nirmani and two of her friends on their shoulders and backs for making a noise. The children who were stunned to see such a cruel behaviour, urged the teacher not to beat the three students. However all pleas fell on deaf ears, as the teacher continued to beat Nirmani violently with a cane and as her anger ceased, little did she realize that she had injured Nirmani in her left eye, making the student fall back in pain. The teacher had then walked away, while Nirmani was left crying.

Unable to even stand up, Nirmani was assisted to a desk where she rested her head and continued to cry. Her friends who had to leave the class for another lesson, left Nirmani crying in pain. It was much later that another teacher who had heard her cries had rushed in to see Nirmani with her head resting on the desk with tears pouring down her cheeks.

Not a laughing matter

The teacher had immediately noticed that Nirmani’s left eye was swollen. She questioned Nirmani as to what had happened at which point, Nirmani narrated all what took place. The teacher had then walked out and returned awhile later with the teacher who had beaten Nirmani. The teacher stared at Nirmani’s swollen eye and then urged the student not to lie as she had never laid a hand on the young girl. “She scolded me while I was in pain, calling me a liar. She told the other teacher that she had never hit me and said that students like me deserved to be in pain. Both teachers then laughed at me and left the class, leaving me all alone. The rest of the day, no one attended to me and my condition grew worse. Even the other teachers, who came to teach my class, did not bother about me. I cried all day,” Nirmani said.

When it was time to go home, Nirmani’s father who was unable to pick Nirmani that day notified her mother to bring her home. However once her mother arrived at the school, her daughter who usually stood near the school office, waiting for her father, was missing. Panic struck, Nirmani’s mother inquired after the whereabouts of her daughter to no avail. A while later, the frightened mother ran to Nirmani’s classroom, to find her daughter in an almost unconscious state and with a swollen left eye.

“I was shocked to see my daughter like that. She could barely talk till I splashed some water on her face. She told me that her left eye hurt a lot and she vaguely narrated all that had happened to her that day. I immediately called my husband and rushed to the principal’s office. However, the office staff told me that the principal had left school at 9.00 that morning and did not return,” Nirmani’s mother Ahirangani Ranatunga said.

While Ahirangani urged the school staff to assist her to take her child to a hospital, her plea fell on deaf ears as no one responded. Even the male teachers ignored the grieving mother to help her transport her daughter to the National Hospital. “No one helped me though my child was in pain. I finally carried her to a three wheeler and rushed her to accident service of the Eye Hospital. My husband joined me a little while later,” Ahirangani said.

Surgery for Nirmani

The doctors who checked Nirmani urged the parents to immediately admit the child as the condition of her left eye was serious. Doctors also performed minor surgery on Nirmani’s injured eye as pieces of cane she was beaten with had entered her eye. Doctors also warned that if Nirmani’s condition did not improve they would have to perform major eye surgery. “They removed tiny pieces of cane from Nirmani’s left eye. Two days later the doctors removed another piece of cane which had also caused an infection. My daughter cried in pain for days,” Nirmani’s father Wimaladasa Ranatunga said.

Three days after Nirmani was admitted, the Hospital Police approached Nirmani and her father to take their statements. The police had then lodged their complaint at the Borella Police Station. On the same day that Nirmani gave her statement, an arrest warrant was issued on the teacher who had beaten Nirmani. Without her family’s knowledge, the teacher appeared at the police station along with her husband the next day. She was also produced before court that very day and released on bail. “We were not informed about anything. The Borella Police completely failed to keep us informed and it was through another party that I realized that the teacher had been released on bail. She also went back to teach at the school the very next day she was released,” Wimaladasa said.

Nirmani was released from hospital after six days and was taken home. But she was strongly advised by the doctors to rest her eye at for least two months. Nirmani stayed at home for a month due to the heavy medication to heal her eye. However a month later her parents advised her to go back to school as she had to sit for her final examinations in December.

Bearing the brunt at school

Nirmani was happy to return back to school, thinking her troubles were over, but little did she realize that her troubles had just begun. As she entered her classroom a month later, her friends refused to sit with her or talk to her. She remained alone and the teachers who taught Nirmani, entered the classroom passing criticizing comments at Nirmani and her family. Even while she walked along the corridors, teachers and students mocked her and laughed at her, some even urging her to quit school. Nirmani, however ignored all the comments and continued to study on her own eventhough teachers did not pay any attention to her. She was even barred from playing at the school grounds as teachers did not want her in school.

Two weeks after this torturous treatment, things turned worse. Her teachers refused to teach Nirmani’s class due to her presence and informed the school principal to throw the student out of school. The next day, the principal at the daily assembly, informed the students that any children who went against a teacher and took them to courts would not be allowed to remain in the school. After these remarks, the teachers and students who had gathered in the hall, had looked at Nirmani and burst into laughter. “I felt like running away that day. I started crying as everyone, including the principal were laughing at me. I just wanted to go home,” Nirmani cried.

The next day as Nirmani walked into school, she was called into the principal’s office and warned by the principal to withdraw the case against the teacher who had beaten her. The reason was that a government minister’s niece who was a teacher in that school and a close friend of the teacher who had beaten Nirmani had wanted to report the matter to her uncle if the principal did not pressurize Nirmani to withdraw the case. The principal also threatened Nirmani that if her case was not withdrawn, she would be expelled from school. Later that day, a Buddhist monk, who was a teacher in the school had walked into class and used filthy language on Nirmani and urged her to quit the school. He also threatened to throw her out personally if she did not stay back at home. That same day, no teacher entered Nirmani’s class. The students were left without any studies despite the examinations being just a few days away.

Nirmani, who could not tolerate the inhuman behaviour of the teachers went home and told her parents about the threats and criticism. She also told them that she wanted to quit school as the other students’ education was being disrupted because of her presence in class. “That day my daughter and I cried a lot. I told her to go to school and sit for her exams and promised her that I would do something about the teachers. The remaining days that she attended school to sit for her exams were torturous as everyday she returned back home crying. She was glad when the school closed for the holidays,” Wimaladasa said.

While all other students received their report sheets by post, Nirmani was barred from receiving her report card or examination results. Even when she went to school on January 1, 2008 to get her new text books, the librarian had criticized Nirmani and told her to quit as the other students would not be taught because of her presence. The librarian had also refused to give her text books. Her father who decided to take action, immediately sent a letter to the Secretary to the Education Ministry, describing all what had taken place and urged him to help transfer his daughter to another school.

Complaint to Education Ministry

In May 2008, the matter was then referred to W. Dharmadasa, the Additional Secretary of Education, Evaluation and Development, in the Education Ministry. Wimaladasa was granted an appointment to meet Dharmadasa and explain his plight.

Dharmadasa, after hearing Nirmani’s story had handed him a letter to enroll his daughter in a leading girls’ school in Milagiriya and advised him to return if there was any other problem. On the following day, Wimaladasa had visited the school and handed over the letter to the principal. Although the letter clearly stated that Nirmani should be immediately enrolled in school, the principal informed Wimaladasa that he would not enroll Nirmani till she sat an examination. Wimaladasa was told to come back to school a few days later for Nirmani to sit the entrance exam.

Pillar to post

“The following Friday we went to school. Nirmani had prepared for the entrance exam and was certain that she would be enrolled immediately. However as we went there, Nirmani was given a 2003 mathematics paper which was based on a completely different syllabus. Nirmani explained the situation to the teacher who ignored her and told her to answer whatever she could,” Wimaladasa said. Nirmani went back to school again the next day with her father. As soon as they entered the principal’s office, the vice principal informed them that Nirmani had failed the exam and therefore could not be enrolled. She also informed them that Nirmani could not be placed together with other students as her knowledge was very poor and that the school would inform the Ministry Secretary about this situation.

Wimaladasa returned back to Dharmadasa’s office a few days later and informed him about what had happened. In July, Dharmadasa gave another letter to Wimaladasa to take to another leading girls’ school in Maradana. Dharmadasa assured that Nirmani would be enrolled in that school. The next day once again, Nirmani and her father arrived at the said school. Wimaladasa handed over the letter to the principal and as it was a few days before holidays, Wimaladasa was advised to return to school at the beginning of the final term. In the meantime Wimaladasa alleged that the principal had telephoned the principal of Nirmani’s old school and had inquired as to why the student had left the school. What was discussed between the two is not known.

When Wimaladasa and Nirmani arrived at the Maradana school after the holidays, when she was advised to leave the school premises as the principal had refused to enroll her. The principal had also told Wimaladasa that if she enrolled Nirmani in the school, all teachers would go against her as a vote had been taken not to enroll Nirmani in the school. Wimaladasa and Nirmani returned home disappointed once again. In mid July, Wimaladasa was finally able to meet Education Minister Susil Premajayantha. Due to the Minister’s tight schedule, Wimaladasa was briefly able to explain his daughter’s problem. The Minister promised to look into the matter which is yet to be attended to, to date.

Human Rights Commission steps in

On October 2, 2008. Wimaladasa wrote a letter to the Deputy Minister of Education, Nirmala Kothalawala, explaining his plight. However Nirmali’s family is yet to hear from the Deputy Minister. That same day, Wimaladasa also lodged a complaint at the Human Rights Commission. An investigation was immediately conducted and summons was issued to the OIC of the Borella Police, the principal of Nirmani’s school, the teacher who beat Nirmani, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, the Secretary to the Education Department and the Principals of the two schools who refused to enroll Nirmani. According to Wimaladasa, all those who appeared before the Commission, accepted that Nirmani had been unfairly treated and admitted their mistake.

Another date has been fixed by the Human Rights Commission in order to conduct further investigations. The Commission had also promised to enroll Nirmani into a new school upon conclusion of the investigations. While Nirmani has missed a year of school, she says she was not prepared to sit for the GCE O’ Level examinations next year. As she prays each night that some school will enroll her, we pray that the authorities, upon seeing this, will finally wake up and give this child an education she is entitled to receive. This matter is over to you, Education Minister, Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority and OIC of the Women and Children’s Bureau.
courtesy:dailymirror.lk