CHENNAI: An education officer and a head master were placed under suspension late on Thursday night after a teacher consumed acid stored in his school laboratory in Tondiarpet for being reprimanded for alleged dereliction of duty. The condition of the teacher, who was admitted in a private hospital, is stated to be serious. The annual day celebrations at the Corporation-run Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School in Korukkupet turned sombre on Thursday, after P Jagadeeswaran (41), who has been teaching in the school for close to a decade, attempted suicide on the premises around noon. The school has 2,000 students in its rolls and 44 teachers.Giving details of the incident, head master R Thyagarajan, who took charge two years ago, told Express that the annual day celebration was under way, with arrangements made to feed around 2,000 people on the occasion. “The main function was slated for the evening, for which we had invited the education officer. But since he could not make it in the evening, he arrived in the morning itself around 10.30 am,” he said.InspectionEducation Officer K Ravichandran, in-charge of all corporation-run schools in the city, inspected the premises and called for the attendance register and science records of Class X students. “Since practical exams are being held for the first time for Class X, he wanted to check the record notebooks,” the headmaster said. The officer summoned the four science teachers, Jagadeeswaran, Bhuvaneswari, Sriranjini and Ezhilarasi, and asked them to bring the record notebooks. The teachers claimed that since it was annual day, the students did not have the notebooks with them. The officer then wanted to know whether the record notebooks were ready. “The teachers replied that they had been completed but that they were yet to affix their signatures on them,” he said. “The education officer directed them to send a written explanation to him through me explaining the reasons for the delay as well as when the task would be completed,” he added.The headmaster claimed that he later called up the education officer and requested him to withdraw the directive as it would spoil the annual day mood. “He relented and told me to retain the explanation letters with me. But I was soon informed that Jagadeeswaran had consumed acid taken from the laboratory,” he rued. “He is a very good and sincere teacher.”The science teacher, a resident of Madhavaram Milk Colony, was rushed to a private hospital in Tondiarpet for treatment.Sincere TeacherA Tamil teacher attached to the school told Express that Jagadeeswaran had sounded dejected after emerging from the room with his three colleagues. She said Jagadeeswaran had been busy for the last three days on a science exhibition at Nungambakkam because of the school’s participation. Teachers and students, who gathered at the hospital, were unanimous in their praise for Jagadeeswaran. “He is very hard-working,” the Tamil pundit said.Education Officer Ravichandran, who is in the eye of the storm, told Express that he wanted to check the preparedness of the teachers, as practical exams were being held for the first time for Class X. “I did not issue any memo, but only asked them to send an explanation for the delay and when they will complete the work.”He added that he received a call from the head master around 2 pm about the teacher’s action. “As an education officer, it is my duty to conduct the inspection,” he pointed out. ”I have given a written explanation about the incident to higher officials,” Ravichandran said.Highly placed sources in the corporation defended the EO, saying that the officer had carried out a review of three to four schools on Thursday and it was his duty to point out any lacuna.Mayor Saidai Duraisamy visited the hospital and consoled the teacher’s mother, wife Sangeetha and two children and promised them assistance, sources said. The Tondiarpet police have registered a case.
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