Kendrapara, Dec. 8: A teacher beat up a Class VIII student at a government-run high school in Kendrapara Township today because his mathematical skills were bad.

Furious at the student's poor mathematical knowledge, the accused teacher allegedly beat him up with a duster. Following this, the victim was hospitalised.

Gulfan Khan, 13, of Gulanagar High School suffered injuries on his head and right hand.

'My son was assaulted by the teacher. The accused should be taken to task,' said Hakim Khan, father of the injured student.

Parents and guardians many students demanded action against the teacher.

Headmaster of the school, Bijoy Kumar Samal said: 'The student suffered minor injuries on his head and left hand when the teachers assaulted him with a duster. We immediately admitted the injured to the district government hospital at Kendrapara. He was discharged from the hospital on Monday evening. I will submit a report on this incident to the district education officer soon.'

'Teachers have been asked not to subject children to corporal punishment. Today's incident is being probed by the department,' said district education officer Markat Keshari Ray.

'It has been often found that teachers are not aware of the fact that meting out corporal punishment to students has become a punishable offence. Many cases are being suppressed and are not being reported. The cases of harassment, physical torture and abuse of children in schools indicate that it has become imperative for teachers to attend workshops and learn the difference between child abuse and discipline,' said child rights activist Biraja Kumar Pati.

The state government had imposed a ban on corporal punishment in all state-run and private schools in the state in September 2004.

The government guidelines had ordered that no physical punishment was to be meted out to students studying in schools across the state.