A student from SSC, sitting for her board examination in Nashik on March 13, reportedly faced refusal from a female invigilator to access the restroom when she mentioned that she had begun her menstruation, compelling her to endure the remaining hour of the test.
Trigun Kulkarni, the state board chairman, labeled the incident as "wrong" on Tuesday and emphasised that there are no regulations forbidding students from visiting the toilet during exams. He stated, "Natural processes should not be curtailed. There is no rule that says students cannot use the washroom during the exam. Teachers should allow students to use the washroom."
Subhash Borse, the chairman of the Nashik divisional board, mentioned that a show-cause notification was issued to the chief invigilator of the examination center on March 20, and a response is awaited.
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Board sent a show cause notice to chief invigilator
"We received the complaint on the day after the exam. We have sent a notice to the chief invigilator who is also the school's principal to explain why the teacher did not allow a student to use the toilet. There are no rules forbidding it and especially in this situation, she should have been allowed," Borse told TOI.
According to TOI report, the student revealed that she began her period during her science exam. "An hour was left for the exam to end and I told the teacher about it. But she refused to let me go to the washroom. I returned to my seat but couldn't concentrate."
"My stomach started aching and I went back to her with the request to go to the toilet but she said the rules did not permit going to the washroom. I sat in my seat and my clothes were stained," the student added.
School did not have any sanitary napkins
After the exam concluded, she asked her friends to cover her as her soiled dress made her feel ashamed. "Our bags are kept far from the classrooms, and my sanitary napkin was inside it. I requested a lady helper if I could get a pad to which she said the school did not have any," she told TOI.
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Her cousin, who came to pick her up post-exam, remarked that she appeared upset "We were going to our place for lunch, but she insisted on going back home. She told me what had happened and I complained to the board authorities. We don't want the teacher to be punished. We want the board to sensitize invigilators," he added.
The student's aunt told TOI that the board should implement guidelines allowing students to access restrooms during exams. "How can a student concentrate on writing the paper if he or she has to go to the washroom? On humanitarian grounds alone, my niece should have been allowed to use the washroom. We are not blaming the teacher, but no child must suffer due to lack of access to a toilet," she concluded.
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