Mazgaon school

WHAT LED TO THE ARREST

MUMBAI: The office of the South Zone education inspector on Monday issued an order to St Mary’s School (SSC), Mazgaon, to suspend a physical education teacher.

The teacher was arrested in August by the Byculla police for sending obscene text messages to a former student.

“According to the Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools Act, 1981, Section 33 (5), since [the teacher] was under arrest for more than 48 hours, he will be considered as suspended. Considering the seriousness of the problem, please take the necessary action,” read the order, which was issued to the school by BB Chavan, education inspector, South Zone.

The education department issued the order after parents, whose children study in the school, on October 1, complained that the school was allowing the ‘errant’ teacher to sign the attendance muster and access the premises.

“The teacher is always sitting in the school office. This is The physical education teacher was arrested on August 23 following an

FIR against him for sending obscene text messages to a student who passed out in 2014

a threat to the other children in the school. This has been brought to the notice of the principal, but he still pays no heed to the genu ine complaints of the parents,” stated the complaint.

Father Baptist Pinto, the school’s principal, said that the school had received the order from the department and will take the necessary steps.

“We allowed the teacher to come to school and sign the attendance muster as we were awaiting legal advice from the education department. Now that we have received the letter we will initiate the necessary action,” said Father Pinto.