She has been an amazing administrator and an incredible educator, a progressive lady, and a sensitive educator who is widely respected and trusted by children, according to Shilpa Phadke, one of the parents who is supporting Parveen Shaikh.
Mumbai: A group of parents have come out in favor of Parveen Shaikh and requested the school administration to restore her five days after Shaikh, the principal of Somaiya School in Vidyavihar, was asked to quit following the publication of an article on her pro-Palestine and anti-Modi sentiments by a Hindutva website. According to the story, Shaikh liked and commented on articles on X, a previous Twitter platform, that were pro-Hamas, pro-Palestine, anti-Hindu, and anti-Modi.
“The management has conveyed to me that this relationship is not tenable and asked me to resign,” said Shaikh, the school’s seven-year principal. “This relationship is not tenable,” he added. “I am not planning to resign as I have done anything wrong,” she continued.
“The article was published on April 25, and the management scheduled a meeting to discuss the allegations made in the article on April 26,” Shaikh stated. I was recognized for my efforts and for helping to shape the Somaiya School. They claimed, meanwhile, that they were under tremendous pressure to act against me. The management requested my resignation as the meeting came to an end.
Vidya Nair, a parent of a grade 9 student, praised Sheikh’s work at the school, saying, “She is a great educator and a progressive woman.” For my daughter, she serves as a model. Her leadership is something we don’t want to lose for the benefit of our kids. We presented our perspective to the management during a meeting. Our hopes are elevated for the best.
“She has been an outstanding principal and an exceptional educator, a progressive woman, and a compassionate educator and well respected and trusted by students,” stated Shilpa Phadke, one of the parents who is supporting Parveen Shaikh.
Phadke also mentioned a couple of Sheikh’s innovative initiatives. “The school implemented a gender-neutral uniform policy under her direction. We thought the management and the principle were both very good. We wish to see the great professional collaboration that has developed between the administration, teachers, and principal continue, Phadke continued.
Somaiya Trust released a statement on X following the publication of the story on Shaikh, stating, “We were ignorant of the comments stated until it was brought to our knowledge. Such opinions are not shared by us. It is undoubtedly alarming. We are investigating the situation.
Firm in her stance, Shaikh stated, “The news portal that published the article about me is known for its bias against the Palestinian cause as well as the secular constitutional ethos.” The people that follow it and have harassed me would have similar prejudices.
Apart from the backing of parents, a number of social media users are also expressing their support for Shaikh through various platforms by utilizing hashtags such as #supportparveenshaikh #standupfordemocracy #somaiyamanagement.
“I have known and respected her for many years as the enlightened and beloved principal of Somaiya Vidyavihar School, Mumbai,” children’s book author and illustrator Deepa Balsavar posted on Instagram. She has always maintained the greatest standards of professionalism and has contributed to her school’s growth into the accolade-winning organization that it is today. Today, I learned that she has been the target of vicious comments that disparage her leadership and integrity just because she is a Muslim.
It is understandable that hateful tweets are commonplace and may be ignored, but it is heartbreaking that the administration of Somaiya School would ask her to step down (after all the years of exceptional and committed work) in response to widespread hostility. It’s time to put an end to the chaos and defend morality.
