A Class 8 girl, who experienced signs of puberty while appearing for an exam, was made to sit outside the examination hall at a private matriculation school near Kinathukadavu Taluk in Coimbatore district, officials said adding that the girl belongs to the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiar) community.
Her mother took a video of the incident and approached the education officials. At the same time, a certain section of village residents plan to approach the Pollachi sub-collector around 10.30am, requesting the district administration take strict action against the school administration regarding the discrimination.
The underage girl was a student in the seventh grade at Swamy Chidbhavananda Matric Higher Secondary School in Sengottai Palayam village, Kinathukadavu Taluk, Coimbatore district.
On April 5, 2025, the girl had her first menstrual period. After her menstruation, the school management is alleged to have made her sit out of the classroom to write her Science paper on April 7, 2025, and Social Science paper on Wednesday.
“The girl told the incident on April 7 evening to her mother. The mother visited the school on Wednesday and noticed her daughter was made to sit outside the classroom to attend the examination. She recorded the incident using her mobile camera. The video went viral on social media on Wednesday night,” said a Dalit activist.
According to Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, the Coimbatore rural police have launched an investigation into the situation. The matriculation school’s inspector was asked to provide a detailed report to the district administration. Strict action will be taken against the school’s management.
