Almost a dozen Indian teachers on Kumundhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll have either resigned from their posts or requested transfers to another island following the assault of a colleague on school premises last week, diplomatic officials have confirmed.
Diplomatic sources said Indian High Commissioner Rajeev Shahare was meanwhile in the process of arranging talks with Maldivian education authorities to discuss the issue of teacher safety.
The Indian High Commission in the Maldives told Minivan News it received requests from eight Indian nationals currently working as teachers on Kumundhoo to be transferred to another island over concerns about their safety.
According to the commission, two other expatriate teachers on the island have also handed in their resignation after physics teacher Neelakantan Pappukutty Subash Kumar was assaulted in the school on May 14 by an angry mob accusing him of hitting a student in the chest.
One expatriate teacher on the island, who has since handed in their resignation, was also claimed to have received minor injuries trying to prevent the assault, an Indian diplomatic official told Minivan News this week.
Despite the concerns about teacher safety, the high commission said yesterday (May 19) that the response of the education ministry had so far been “positive” in terms of their handling of the attack on the Indian national.
Kumundhoo Island Councilor Ali Anwar claimed on May 15 that islanders had destroyed a a power distribution unit outside the school to cut off its electricity, before then entering and attacking the teacher, despite efforts by staff to try and prevent the assault.
So far eight suspects are being held in police custody over the attack, police confirmed today.
After being initially hospitalised after the assault, Kumar’s condition is not thought to be critical. The high commission has claimed the teacher was now waiting for the Education Ministry to renew his work visa that expired last month, so that he can be returned to India for treatment.
A “mutual time” was also being sought for High Commissioner Shahare to meet with the country’s education officials to discuss the issue of “better security” for expatriate teachers.
Minivan News was awaiting a response from the Ministry of Education at time of press.
Ongoing concerns
Despite the high commission’s praise for the education ministry this week, one Indian diplomatic source said following the attack that the injured teacher’s treatment continued to highlight ongoing concerns over the Maldives’ treatment of foreign workers.
These concerns were said to be based around issues such as the retention of passports and travel documents by private and state employers.
“The fact remains that [Kumar’s] work permit has not been renewed. He was a government employee – they should have renewed his documents before they expired, not afterwards,” the diplomatic source said last week. ”This [issue] has been going on for over one and a half years now.”
A senior Indian doctor in the Maldives has also previously alleged that expatriate professionals regullarly face intimidation and fraud in the country from employers and the public.
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All the teachers at this Island should resign and leave and let those barbarian teach their children themselves.
Even Maldivian and Sri Lankan teachers should resign and no teacher should work on Island like that.
This is shameful for all Maldivians.
Finally, something kuribee and I agree on.
@MINIVAN NEWS
CAN U SEPERATE THE SUN AND THE MOON!!!
INDIANS N MALDIVIANS R ONE!U R THE POEPLE WHO CALL US F***ING INDIANS! SO TAKE UR AGENTS N STORIES TO UR COUNTRY P!!
Kuribee I like that you condemn this but how can you defend violence against Maldivian kuffars and then condemn this.
Hypocrite.
@Shamed to be urself
GOD IS ONE!U ATHEISTS!
Now, Common Maldivians are on the same level as the parliamentarians in India, slapping each other, throwing chairs!
Our own political parties and politicians stick to the same behavior so am not surprised! Politics is bitter for Maldivians!Islamic unity has been raped!
There was once a time when these Indian and Srilankan teachers would slap and pinch us with impunity but that doesn't mean we have to stick to their level!
We have lost our peaceful religious beliefs, ways of respecting each other, gratitude to each other just so that politics could evade our lives??!!
This is brilliant news. The shameful treatment and exploitation of Indian workers in Maldives must end now.
Indian doctors in Maldives should follow suit and leave these dumb people to fend for themselves.
Very soon you will see Maldives hit the skids.
May I suggest you recruit your teachers and doctors from your brother nation of Pakistan.....also sunni muslim nut cases like yourselves......your drugged up adolescents can then learn how to be pious muslims and terrorise all the 'kuffars' of the world.
Kuribee should relocate to Kumundhoo and teach these savages.
The teacher beating kids was wrong. However, for these savage parents to come out and almost kill him is unacceptable. This is what happens when the majority of the population are uneducated and live in poverty. I hope they know how important these teachers are now, once they leave. The government should help them to leave the country as soon as possible.
Miss India.
You damn idiot should try to find decent job back in India ? Why the hell you are working here in Maldives?
You can not find a decent job from billions of people in India.
India can not afford to provide job for all Indian and 40% of your people are jobless and under paid .
This is why you Indian are coming to Maldives and going elsewhere in search of jobs.
No one would go out of the country in search of jobs , if there was a decent jobs available in the country and every one would prefer to work and live with the family.
You put the cow dung on your forehead and pray cow to find a decent job for you. You can keep on praying and feed the cow until you have no means to feed even the cow.
this steps by the Indian teachers is a big lesson to that island community & to the ministry of education neglecting the renewal of visa & rights of the expats employee. i hope the Indian teachers not only in that island will be protected by their employer & leave their post when they finish their contract.
@MissIndia.
You should relocate to that Island. People of your nature will like those kind of barbaric act.
Then again, you can not get a decent job from any where and you have limited choices.
Maldivian teachers are welcome to work in remote godforsaken villages in India.........but hey, we will pay you slave wages, keep your passport in case you run away and bash you up if you dare to admonish any of our naughty children.............anyone interested?
Kuribee?
@ Kuribee
If you intend taking up a teaching job in India, can I remind you to leave your koran, prayer mat, prayer beads, bottles of zam zam water and holy rocks from mina behind.....we do not allow these objects to be brought into India as we need to protect our religion.....also please don't bring any religious material on laptop hard drives or on portable pen drives and definitely no DVD's of mad mullah's giving fiery discourses on the finer points of sharia law.....we are a 100% hindu country.
Sounds familiar?.....we got this brilliant idea from you dumb morons.
@ Miss India, me also an Indian, I have to notice u onething, India is not a 100 percent,Hindu country, everyone has their own ethics nd own things can keep India,In India overall 168 relegions are there on the basis of present surway. everyone can live in India.Be proud be an Indian. dnt change the matters as reversely. That is not suitable for a rind kind of person.good luck.
I got posting as a teacher to this island. Right now I'm in male..cam any one suggest me...should I go back to Indian
Dijon get the he'll of maldives, anywhere is better besides teachers in india receive a decent paycheck,I can only say remember the proverb pound foolish and pennywise