Child rights activists have condemned the incident in which a teacher at Amar Singh Secondary School, Pokhara Metropolitan City-12, subjected a Grade 10 student to beating. Civil society organizations for child rights expressed serious concern over the incident involving computer teacher Dipak Dahal, who allegedly beat a student on June 8. Dahal reportedly struck a 15-year-old student of Grade 10 (Section B) on the left temple and punched him near the joint behind the ear. The student sustained injuries on his face and was taken to the Parkland Hospital.
Activists condemned the violation of child rights and demanded immediate action against the accused teacher. They issued a press release describing the incident as a serious criminal act, stating that it violated Article 39(7) of the Constitution and the provisions of the Act related to the Children, 2018. The law prohibits subjecting children to torture at school, home, or any other place, and such acts are punishable by law. The tendency to normalize violence against children in schools has encouraged such incidents. They also mentioned that the absence of child protection standards and the lack of an effective complaint-handling mechanism in schools have left children vulnerable.
In the joint appeal, local governments, school administrations, and all concerned stakeholders have been urged to take responsibility and act sensitively to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future. It also emphasizes the need to implement the national framework and operational guidelines of “Schools as Zones of Peace” in all schools. Organizations that signed the press statement include Child Rights Forum, CZOP, National Campaign for Education Nepal, Child Welfare Scheme Nepal, INSEC Pokhara, CWIN Nepal Pokhara, Good Neighbors Support Association (GONESA), and Human Rights Alliance Kaski.