School’s registration suspended after inquiry confirms student was ridiculed for speaking Urdu

After finding that a teacher of a private school put a black mark on a student’s face for speaking in Urdu, the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh (Dirpis) on Monday suspended the registration certificate of the school and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on it.

According to Dirpis, the doctorate formed a five-member committee on the complaint of the student’s parents against the administration of the school in North Nazimabad.

The father of the student had alleged that a teacher of the school had humiliated his son for speaking in Urdu on the school premises. He claimed that his son’s face was painted black and he was ridiculed in front of the whole class. Later, the father recorded a video which went viral on social media.

During a visit to the school, the committee found that “the accusation of applying blackness on the face of the student by his teacher was correct.”

The committee in a report stated: “Indeed, the teacher in question punished the student for not speaking in English which is quiet in contradiction of the feeling of patriotism and love for the national language. The administration of the school failed to handle the situation /deal the parents on their complaint, properly.”

Exercising the powers vested in the Sindh Private Educational Institutions Regulation & Control Ordinance 2001, the committee suspended the registration certificate of the school. In addition, a fine amounting to Rs100,000 was also imposed on the school. The school administration said it had accepted resignation tendered by the teacher.

Meanwhile, a board member of the school, Sibtain Naqvi, in his statement said that the school took pride in being one the few educational institutions to promote, encourage and celebrate Urdu and its role in promoting Urdu was unmatched in the country. In the last few years, the school organised four Mushairas and poets such as Iftikhar Arif, Fehmida Riaz and Amjad Islam Amjad read their poetry to audiences in thousands, which included students, faculty members, staff, guests and media persons, Naqvi said.

“The school in no way promotes English over Urdu. The regrettable incident that took place on January 27 is against the school’s ethos, ideology, philosophy and spirit. We are a considerate and empathetic institution that does not condone or allow anyone to embarrass a student. You are welcome to come to our next Urdu event and witness the school’s culture,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sindh Education and Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah in a statement said that there could be no compulsion against speaking in the mother tongue while learning. He added that it was the right of every student to get education in the mother tongue.