To solve theft, YPS director punishes over 500 students

PATIALA: 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.

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.

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

“It’s a harsh punishment during examinations. You can’t treat all students as thieves. Our son is in shock. Most of students are from reputed families,” said a parent who does not want 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,” alleged another parent.

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.”