Child forced to change writing hand: Parents

Kozhikode: The parents of a six-year-old Class I student have lodged a complaint with the child welfare committee alleging that the principal of her school forced their daughter to stop writing with her left hand and to use her right hand instead.The complaint, filed against authorities at Ascent English Medium School in Kulangara Peedika near Pokkunnu, stated that the child, who has been studying at the same school since LKG, was repeatedly pressured by the principal, Bushra, to switch her writing style."She has always preferred writing with her left hand. Despite our repeated requests asking the principal not to put pressure on her, the insistence continued. When our daughter was unable to switch hands, she scolded her and humiliated her in front of other students," said the child's father in the complaint.He added that the mental distress made the child fearful of attending school. "In a day with seven periods, only one teacher keeps forcing her to write with her right hand. Because of this, she cries every morning and says she doesn't want to go to school," he said.The parents said they met the principal on Oct 23 and were assured that their daughter could write with whichever hand she preferred. "But soon after we left, the child was again reprimanded in a harsher manner," claimed the father.He said the teacher told them that the girl's left-handed writing caused difficulties for other students and added that if she continued writing with her left hand, they should shift her to another school.Meanwhile, the principal denied the allegations and said she had neither insisted nor scolded the student for writing with her left hand. "When I noticed that her handwriting with the left hand was not clear, I only advised her to try writing with the right hand. There was no coercion or mental pressure," she claimed.