To solve theft, YPS Patiala director punishes 500 students

The director made more the students stand in the school stadium and embarrassed them after a few sports kits went missing from the school.

The director of Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Patiala — one of the top rung Public Schools in the country — on Monday punished all students of classes 4 to 9 for theft incidents in the school.

In a letter to the CM, who is patron of school, parents alleged that the school director treated all students as thieves. (patiala.nic.in)

The director made more than 500 students stand in the school stadium and embarrassed them after a few sports kits went missing from the school.

The move invited parents’ ire who approached chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, whose younger brother Malwinder Singh is chairman of the YPS Management Board. Parents showed displeasure over “ill-treatment” of students and even lodged a complaint with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi.

“It’s a harsh punishment and that too during examinations. You can’t treat all students as thieves. Our son is in shock over the ill-treatment. Most of students are from reputed families,” said a parent who doesn’t wants to be named.

The parents have sought immediate intervention of the CM “as such act has dented the image of school”. “No teacher come to rescue of our children. How can we trust the school management that such incidents would not take place in future,” alleged another parent.

Parents also accused the school director of using harsh language when they lodged a complaint with him.

When contacted, Malwinder Singh said the director was worried over frequent thefts in the school. “I will check if any harsh punishment was given to students,” he said adding “it’s a relationship between a teacher and students, and we should not interfere in it.”