In a troubling incident that has come to light in Vuyyuru town of Krishna district, a private school teacher punished students in a humiliating manner for not following the school uniform rules.

The teacher, identified as Kanakalakshmi, made 15 students wear garlands made of their slippers after they arrived at school wearing slippers instead of shoes, which are part of the prescribed school uniform. The teacher asked the students to tie a rope to their slippers and wear them around their necks. She made them stand in that position inside the classroom for some time.

When an agitated mother of one of the boys questioned her about the “punishment”, the teacher defended her action saying that the intention was to instill discipline among the students. “Your child was not alone. He was among the 15 children who had come to school wearing brightly coloured slippers and not the required shoes,” she said, reiterating that the punishment was not intended to humiliate or hurt the students but to make them understand the importance of following school rules.

The teacher further maintained that discipline is essential in today’s competitive world and claimed that the measure had an immediate effect, as all the students had come to school wearing proper shoes the next day (Saturday, March 7, 2026)). Meanwhile, attempts to contact the Krishna District Education Officer for a response were unsuccessful. However, Director of School Education V. Vijaya Rama Raju said that department officials had been asked to look into the incident and submit a report.