Watch: TN teacher assaults students for losing football match, suspended
What's the story
A physical education teacher in Tamil Nadu, identified as Annamalai, has been suspended after a video of him physically assaulting his students went viral. The incident took place at a government-aided school near Mettur in the Salem district. The video shows the teacher slapping, kicking, and pulling the hair of his students allegedly due to their poor performance in a football match.
Details
Video shows teacher assaulting students
In the video, the students are seen sitting on the ground while the teacher speaks to them and intermittently assaults them. The surrounding crowd is seen watching without intervening. At one point, the teacher is heard questioning a player, presumably the goalkeeper, "Are you a man or a woman? How can you let him score?" He further questions another student, "How did you let the ball get past you," and "Can't you play under pressure."
Online reaction
Viral video sparks debate on social media
The video, which was shared on social media platform X, sparked a debate among netizens. Some criticized the teacher's harsh treatment of students, while others shared similar experiences from their coaching days. One user commented, "Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Still see youth coaches lambasting their players after defeats/poor performances." Another user expressed concern over the impact of such coaching methods on young players' motivation to continue playing football.
Twitter Post
Watch the viral video here
Seriously this is not the way to treat your players 😐 pic.twitter.com/wniTRS9XlS
— Abdul Rahman Mashood (@abdulrahmanmash) August 12, 2024
Action taken
Teacher suspended
Following the viral spread of the video, the Sangagiri District Education Officer launched an investigation. The findings were presented to the department and district collector, leading to the teacher's suspension. A senior officer from the district education department confirmed, "We have suspended the teacher and will do a thorough inquiry."