Electrical ITI trainees boycott classes

Team Herald

Ponda Around 100 Electrical Trainee Students at Farmagudi ITI boycotted classes demanding suspension of an Electrical Instructor. They alleged that for the past one year they suffered lot of harassment from the instructor who even manhandled, beat and slapped them.

A total of 58 students, in three batches, are undergoing training to become electricians. Senior students of the same course supported the protesting students stating that they too had suffered from this Instructor.

The students alleged fines were imposed on them which were collected through a donation box. The fines had now been raised to Rs 20 for each mistake, like not wearing uniform, not bringing graph paper, ID card, absent for lectures, etc. 

ITI principal S S Gaonkar, whilst admitting he had received complaints of harassment by one Electrical Instructor, said he can’t take direct action without an inquiry. 

“There are five electrical instructors with ITI and I appealed to the students to attend their classes promising to give them another instructor but they did not agree to my proposal,” Gaonkar said.

He also said the ITI Director Aleixo D’Costa visited the college at around 4 pm but could not meet the students as they had already left after their school hours.

Meanwhile it is learnt that the director is likely to visit the college on October 31 morning to discuss the issue with the students.

It may be recalled that this is the second case against a teacher in recent times in Ponda after there had been complaints filed against a teacher of private Dhavlim Primary School. The parent of an eight-year-old child had filed complaint against a teacher alleging that the child was reluctant to go to school because it was manhandled by a teacher.

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