18 Feb 2017  |   07:40pm IST

Convicted teacher was terminated from school

Team Herald

PANJIM: Even as Goa Children’s Court pronounced one year jail to a preschool teacher on charges of physically and mentally abusing a child, the school management had disassociated itself from her activity by terminating her services the very same month.

Herald spoke to the school management that confirmed terminating Eliza Fernandes’ service after a preliminary inquiry ascertained she allegedly beat the boy, who was two and half years of age at the time of the incident in February 2012.

“The victim child’s parent complained to us that she (Eliza) beat the boy in the classroom. We summoned the teacher and issued a ‘memo’ asking for an explanation but she refused ill-treating the child. The management however decided to terminate her service after we found marks on his face (as a result of the physical abuse),” a senior management official told this reporter.

The five-year-old incident is still fresh in the minds of the preschool authorities, who thereafter issued strict instructions to its entire staff to refrain from resorting to corporal punishment. “Eliza’s case was the first and the last in the preschool records till date. After this incident, we issued advisory asking teachers not to indulge in corporal punishment. This warning is repeated in every meeting,” she claimed.

Eliza, according to the prosecution has decided to appeal against the order in the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The official, who had herself inquired into the episode, said there was little time to understand her behaviour as the former teacher was barely 4-5 months old in the institution. “There was no complaint from any parent against her until this incident came to the fore. This was the first and the last case, and we acted prompt to ensure our students and their parents are not wary about the safety,” she added.

Herald tried speaking to some parents, who have their children enrolled in the playschool but none expressed willingness to discuss the matter. “We are not aware of the incident. My child was enrolled just last year and she is happy with the teachers and her friends here,” one of them said, refusing to be named.

As the victim’s family is contented with the juvenile court’s order pronounced on January 31, 2017; they have ensured their son do not recall the incident. “Doctors have advised that my son does not remember this dark past. He has already gone through the trauma,” the victim’s parent told Herald.