The Ministry of Education and the Principal of Kamji Middle Secondary School, say they stand by their earlier statement on the two reporters from The Journalist who covered the news on the suicide of a student.
They say they are not happy with the findings Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) has come up with.
The school’s principal, Karma Chhoegyel, had written to BICMA seeking intervention after the story on the suicide of a class VII student came out in the paper.
“The Journalist, one of the private newspapers blamed the principal for the death of a class VII student who committed suicide in May. The police have confirmed it as suicide,” the education minister had said earlier.
But, BICMA’s findings say the complaint made by the Principal of Kamji Middle Secondary School, Karma Chhoegyel, against the alleged misbehavior of the two reporters of was not supported by the evidences collected by BICMA.
BICMA has directed the principal to withdraw the complaint letter.
The Education Minister, Thakur Singh Podwyel, said he would have expected the study to be much deeper to really find out whether the school represents a reign of terror and whether the allegations labeled against the principal are true.
“We conducted our own study. I myself visited the school at least three times in the past couple of years and I have seen for myself that the school has come a long way and is progressing well,” said the Minister.
BICMA says all the key witnesses were interviewed while the case study was conducted. It also says the case study was done with due process and in line with Bhutan Information, Communications and Media act and journalistic code of ethics.
But the Principal say the finding by BICMA wasn’t as detailed as expected. “Maybe they will make a detailed report accessible later,” said Karma Chhoegyel.
The principal says he still stand by the letter that he had submitted to the BICMA two months ago. He said teachers and the students are well aware how the reporters misbehaved and smoked in presence of the students while interviewing. “They smoked outside the gate but it was at the time of interacting with the children.”
