Khodabandeh Education Director Denies Report of Student Beating

Some local websites reported the 'beating' of a student in the village of 'Tuzlu' in Khodabandeh County, Zanjan Province, by the school principal, leading to the student's hospitalization. However, the Khodabandeh Education Director has denied these reports. The local website 'Ishraq Online' reported on Thursday, October 29, that Mr. Nasihatgoo, the principal of the village school, punished a student named Hassan Soleimani with a 'hose' for talking to a friend in line. According to the report, the student lost consciousness for 20 minutes after the punishment and did not inform his family about the incident upon regaining consciousness. However, that night, his condition worsened twice, and he was transferred to the hospital. The website noted that a police officer came to the hospital to investigate the matter and prepare a report, and forensic medicine was also informed of the incident. The website stated that the student, who is an orphan, still does not have a 'good condition,' and 'legal actions' have been taken regarding this case. However, the Khodabandeh Education Director now claims that according to 'informed sources,' these reports are 'nothing more than a rumor.' Ali Asadi, in an interview with ISNA news agency, stated that 'even if there was a beating, it would not be to this extent and severity.' He added, 'According to the statements and evidence available, the possibility that this matter is a setup against the principal of the village school in Tuzlu is very strong.' In recent weeks, reports of corporal punishment of students have emerged from a school in District 9 of Tehran, a school in the 'Bampour' region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, a school in the 'Kallaleh' region of Golestan Province, and the school in the village of 'Makhtarabad' in 'Rudbar Jonoub' County in Kerman Province. Meanwhile, Rahim Mirshahvold, the Director General of Performance Evaluation and Complaint Response at the Ministry of Education, announced that in the past two years, 1,924 complaints regarding corporal punishment of students have been registered, of which 1,274 complaints were 'justified.' In this context, Mohammad Mahdi Zahedi, the representative of Kerman and Chairman of the Education and Research Commission of the Parliament, reported on Saturday, October 24, that representatives will soon be sent to Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Golestan provinces to investigate these reports, and if violations are confirmed, teachers will be referred to judicial authorities for prosecution. Regarding the incident involving a little girl, the Khodabandeh Education Director also stated that 'the incident reported by the media regarding a little girl from Khodabandeh' was 'not confirmed according to the forensic ruling.' Mr. Asadi did not mention details of this incident, but his reference may pertain to the case of 'sexual abuse' of a girl named 'Neda' by a teacher at the '22 Bahman School' in the village of Qareh Mohammad, which was first revealed by the local newspaper 'Mardom-e-No' in Zanjan in May. After these reports were published, the police chief of Zanjan Province stated that this case is being investigated in judicial authorities with a 'suitable slope,' and the slope of information dissemination should be such that it does not cause 'public anxiety.' However, judicial officials have not provided a report on the outcome of the investigation into this case.