The alleged molestation of a girl school student by a Physical Education (PE) teacher in Ponda has sparked widespread condemnation in the state. The inaction on the part of the school management which has treated the alleged molester teacher with kid gloves has come in for strong criticism. It is learnt that another shocking case of a PE teacher allegedly molesting a minor student took place at a government high school in Salcete. The accused teacher was ogling at the minor girl while she was playing with a skipping rope and later allegedly outraged her modesty. The accused teacher also reportedly sent explicit videos to the minor student from his cellphone thereby violating her privacy. It is understood that under the POCSO Act sexual abuse is an aggravated form of offense when the same is committed by a person in a position of trust and custody and there is a higher punishment for the perpetrator. It must be said that during Physical Education classes there could be a lot of body contact between the teacher and the student. Given the fact that there have been such instances of a girl student being molested by the male PE teacher it seems prudent to appoint female PE teachers, especially in girl schools. This step will protect the girl students from sexual abuse by male PE teachers who behave as sexual predators.
