A private school in Coimbatore allegedly forbade a class 8 student from entering her classroom to sit for an exam on Wednesday, April 9, because she was menstruating. The news came out after a video of the student, belonging to the Arunthathiyar community (Scheduled Caste) appearing for her exam sitting on a staircase at Swamy Chidbhavananda Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Senguttaipalayam was circulated on social media.
In the video reportedly recorded by the minor’s mother, the girl says that her class teacher informed the principal that she is menstruating, after which the two decided to make her sit outside the classroom and write her exam. She adds that this wasn't the first instance, saying that she gave another exam conducted on April 7 seated on the staircase.
Behind the camera, a woman, purportedly the girl’s mother, is heard saying, “If someone gets their period, does that mean they cannot sit inside the classroom and write their exams? Should they sit on the road and write?”
Following the incident, the Coimbatore rural police initiated an inquiry. A show-cause notice was also been sent to the school management by the District Education Officer (DEO). “Once the investigation is complete and a report is submitted, strict action will be taken as per the law,” said G Pavankumar, Coimbatore district Collector.
In response to the DEO's show-cause notice, the school said that the principal M Anandhi has been placed on a temporary suspension. The school's correspondent noted that it was the student's mother who had requested the school on April 6 to allow her daughter to take the exam separately as she was menstruating for the first time. However, on April 9, when the mother noticed that the girl was made to sit on a staircase, instead of at a desk indoors as she had requested, she made the video and questioned the school's management, the school claimed.
Shristi Singh, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Pollachi, Coimabtore, also told the media that the minor's mother had requested the school to allow her daughter to give her exams separately. The school's principal then encouraged the request.
It may be noted that this is not an isolated incident. In several rural and urban pockets of Tamil Nadu, menstrual sequestering is still followed due to the perception of ‘impurity’ associated with menstruation.
Read: Ground Report: Menstruating women are still banished from their homes in rural TN