New Delhi: All male teachers are to be moved from government-run primary schools for girls in the capital following allegations by six girls that their teacher had molested them, civic authorities decided on Wednesday. In a special meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) Standing Committee, authorities decided that all male teachers would be moved from its 512 girls' schools. "In the wake of the allegations it is better to shift them. The school atmosphere should not be one of scare and crime," said Standing Committee Chairman V Gupta.

"We are receiving allegations from several school students about such kind of misbehaviour and this is an effort to stop it. This will also not bring shame to the city and the educational atmosphere," said Gupta. A 27-year-old primary school teacher in southwest Delhi, Ram Rattan, was arrested on Tuesday after six girls of Class 5 alleged that he had molested them inside a classroom. He had been appointed just two months ago.

The principal and all male teachers of the school in Mongolpuri have been transferred. The parents of the six girls have filed a case of molestation against the teacher. The MCD runs 1,811 primary schools in Delhi that have 7,000 male and 11,000 female teachers. Over 900,000 children are enrolled in these government schools. "Over 60 percent of our primary teachers are women and the number of girls' schools is just one-third of the total. So there would be no problem in making this arrangement," Gupta added.

He clarified that the MCD would not have to go to the Delhi government to implement this decision as all the above 1,811 government-run schools were under the civic body's jurisdiction. "The MCD commissioner will soon issue an order and all the necessary changes will be made within the next 15 days," Gupta said. (IANS)