The ‘suicide’ of a Viqarunnisa Noon School student has sparked fury among other students and parents, who demand the removal of Principal Nazneen Ferdous.
Demonstrations erupted outside the school’s main campus on Dhaka’s Bailey Road since Tuesday (Dec 4) morning.
The body of ninth-grader Aritree Adhikari was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her room locked from inside on Monday (Dec 3).
The family of the 15-year-old girl claimed she killed herself suicide after the principal insulted her and the parents of because she had cheated in an exam.
The principal, however, refuted the allegation of insulting the parents and said that they were called only to inform about that Aritree was barred from an exam on Sunday after she was found to be cheating by using a mobile phone.
“We do not want to see students killing themselves. Our one and only demand is, to remove the principal by 24 hours,” said a protesting guardian.
Another parent, who identified himself as Asaduzzaman, said his two daughters go to the school.
“Not all the teachers here are rude, but some of them definitely are. They call in the parents over trivial matters,” he told Bangla Tribune before adding that the school, one of the top institutions in Bangladesh, has no counsellors for the student.
Protesting parents also stressed on proper training for teachers on how to handle situations.
“The teachers have no idea how to deal with a student when a mobile phone is found on her,” Dilruba Zahan, one of the demonstrating guardians, told Bangla Tribune.
They also alleged that the institution was marred with irregularities and corruption.
One Aminul Islam, whose daughter goes to the school, said, “It’s about time to address the rampant irregularities and corruption in this school.”
Another guardian Sudeep Bhattacharya said that ‘millions change hands in the institution over admitting students’. “The seat vacated by Aritree’s death will be too sold for hundreds of thousands of takas.”
He said that it’s only natural that student will make mistakes, but teachers should handle the matters “humanely”.
Meanwhile, students say they requested to postpone the exams scheduled for Tuesday.
“But the authorities did not keep the request. Several of us could not take the tests,” said a student, whose identity Bangla Tribune is not disclosing as being a minor.
School authorities, however, said they will arrange a retake of the exams.
“Viqarunnisa Noon School and College has several branches, if an exam is postponed it will be tough to maintain the schedule. Those who failed to take the tests, can retake it later,” Principal Nazneen Ferdous said.
Two separate probes have been opened to investigate the matter.
The education ministry and the Viqarunnisa authorities set up the panels with a three-day deadline to turn in probe reports.
Earlier in the day, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid went to the school as protests broke out leaving the school in turmoil.
Describing the death as “painful for all”, he said that the government has taken the matter seriously.
“I want to say it clearly that we, the Education Ministry, are taking the incidents of suicide as a serious matter. We think this incident… the suicide of the student is very painful to us. We can’t spare it so easily…” said he while speaking to the media after emerging from the school.
He said that the incident was not acceptable at all.
“Considering the issue as not only psychological but also criminal one, we’ve discussed it with the police and asked them to cooperate with us,” Nahid said adding, “We’ve talked to the victim’s guardians over phone. They’re so shocked that they’re now staying home.”