The controversy over a Kolkata school’s decision to extract written confession from students about their “lesbian behaviour”, seems far from over.
On Wednesday, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said the “idea of lesbianism” will not be inculcated in the schools of West Bengal as it’s “against the Bengali culture.” The minister didn’t elaborate on the definition of “Bengali culture.”
Chatterjee also said that teenagers should not explore sexuality among themselves
“If it’s a personal matter, it should be taken up outside of school. You can’t inculcate your personal ideas in the school. It can influence others. It is a problem at the school level. Young teenagers should not explore sexuality among themselves. That is not the culture of Bengal,” Chatterjee told online news portal The Quint during an interview.
On March 8, Kamala Girls School in south Kolkata had pulled up ten Class IX girl students for “being lesbians” and forced out a confession from them.
The action had evoked criticism from the parents of the girls who then stormed into the room of the headmistress and got into a heated argument with her. The parents alleged that the school had forcefully obtained the written confession from the students.
While the minister said that he has sought a report from the school about the incident, he also said that schools shouldn’t be “lenient” if the students are found to be “indecent” in their behaviour.
