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Teacher exposes How the PC member played
the devil wearing shorts with club in hand
He started coming round classrooms in the building saying, 'Where is that woman ..... I'm looking for her!' He locked the gates and took the keys in his and chased away the students in the classrooms who were there for the evening classes saying, 'run away ..... run away!' He came like a devil ... wearing shorts, with a club in hand. He was shouting obscene words which I can't tell. 'I'll strip your clothes ..... you who have removed the hem from my daughter's frock ..... I'll strip you and make you walk around the streets'.
The incident where a PC member made the teacher-in-charge of discipline at Nawagaththegama M.V. Priyani Herath kneel down created an uproar a few days ago has now been fully exposed; which had not been so far revealed.
"I studied at Maha Andarawatta School. Later I was chosen to the University of Kelaniya where I received my Arts Degree and was posted as a Sinhala graduate teacher at Nawagaththegama Isuru Navodya School in the year 2005 where I started teaching the subject of Sinhala Language. I am the Head of the staff of the prefects. At the same time, the Head of the classes of Grade 10 and 11. I am also a member of the Disciplinary Committee and am in the School Administration Committee. There are a number of duties at the Disciplinary Committee. The Principal as well as the Disciplinary Committee have informed matters to students well in advance and so many matters are involved. These matters are reminded of and explained at daily assemblies and in the mornings. These rules and regulations procedures are displayed on announcement boards at the entrance to the school. The school prefects are there to keep a check on the school uniform. the hair-style, mobile phones, particularly because the students fall prey to various fashions. While these are checked every morning as the students enter the school premises and the Principal as well as we of the Disciplinary Committee, all of us are in observation so as to scrutinise them. When such students are brought forward before us, we explain the relevant facts to them .... that such and such things are against proper discipline and therefore not to repeat it. On the first time we warn them to rectify the mistake and then send them away. There are only a handful of students who repeat the mistake while the majority of the students are obedient.
We come across female students who wear short frocks almost daily. However the next day itself they correct their mistake. Of the few who don't .... the hems of their frocks are removed and a safety-pin is given them to pin it at the right place and to come the following day after lengthening the frock , wearing the frock below the knees. This is an accepted disciplinary rule of the school. The children as well as parents are both well aware of this. Children are admitted to the school under such special circumstances. We have also displayed boards too to this effect.
Last week on Friday (14) too such an observation was launched. Girls numbering 7 or 8 were found at fault and the hems of their frocks were removed. This of course is a common disciplinary procedure of the school.
After teaching my class and school was over, I was seated on a concrete slab in an outdoor shed in the school awaiting my husband and child to come in the motor-cycle after Mahauswewa School was over.
At this time, the Vice-Principal and some individuals from the minor staff and a few students after school were there. At once a female came towards me. She was shouting with a white frock in her hand lifted up ..... started scolding. She was asking "Is that the way to treat us?" and was insulting me in harsh language and went on to say, "Okay, we'll see, we'll see ...." and then went away. That was the wife of the PC member of that area. I however admitted that I removed the hem of the daughter's frock .... and if she wants, to make a complaint about it .... and to go and tell the Vice-Principal who was above. After a short while, the Vice-Principal and some members of the minor staff came towards me. Almost just about then the Vice-Principal received a phone call. After the call was over, he asked, "Was the hem of the frock of the PC member's frock removed? I don't know whose child it was. So I had to mete out disciplinary action to everybody alike. She should have been released ..... now a big problem," he said.
After a little while, somebody said that the PC member had come. His vehicle was parked in front of the road. Someone told me to hide quickly because they didn't know what was going to happen. I quickly ran and hid behind a building far away. I then heard him coming to school shouting, "where is that woman?" So saying, he started going round buildings searching for me. I heard him shouting in filthy language. I stayed hiding .... I was shivering with fear.
Later on when he could not find me, he got a person from the minor-staff and got down the key of the gate; had locked it and taken away the key. Before that he he had chased away the children who were there for the evening classes shouting, "run away .... run away!" and they had run away in fright. There was a master who taught Karate. He also was abused and was told, "what karate do you know .... I know better karate than you .... go away!"
After things became quieter, I came out. Though all of us came closer together, we couldn't go because the gate was closed. So when we decided to go from the other side of the grounds, the PC member came in the cab from that side .... I came running towards the tree on the centre road. He then came like a devil towards us, clad in a pair of shorts, yelling at me in obscene language .... with a club in hand too. He kept on scolding me. For that short moment he must have shouted about 1000 words. Those are vulgar words which can't be spoken or written. "I'll strip your clothes ..... you who removed the hem of my daughter's frock .... I came to strip you and make you walk around the streets .... wait ....you ....", and said so many filthy words.
I asked his pardon .... if I had done a mistake.
"Pardon you? You should ask pardon not from me .... kneel down and ask pardon from my daughter .... do it now. No ... no, at the public assembly ... worship my child's feet and ask for pardon!" so saying he lifted the club in his hand to assault me. "Sir, don't hit me .... pardon me," I said with fright.
Then he shouted,"bloudy bitch .... kneel down in front of me," so saying he lifted the club to hammer me. I did not kneel. He commanded me about thrice and was insistent on beating me. I was helpless and I started crying aloud .... no, actually I cried involuntarily .... both my legs involuntarily bent down .... I felt alone in this world and felt some blankness as if I was helpless. What I could remember was that there was someone like a 'rakshaya' in front of me.
Even at that time he was abusing me in vulgar language. He was shouting at me like that for 5 minutes and then turned round, apparently to leave .... and then I got up. He abruptly turned round, and looking at me, came near me and said, "Lapara' bitch, kneel down!" ordering me to kneel down a second time. I became helpless once more. I thought what a sinful woman I was and started crying involuntarily once more. Even those around me were helpless. He kept shouting and scolding me for quite sometime and then went away. In this way I just kept kneeling down for about 20 minutes .... maybe even more than that. I felt as if the whole world was turning. What I felt was an empty feeling in me".
Narration -- Terrence Wanigasingha (Divaina)