Indian teacher leaves Maldives for surgery after assault by eighth‑grader at GDh. Atoll School

An Indian teacher who was assaulted by a student at GDh. Atoll School has left the Maldives for further treatment, according to Indian media reports.

Police said they received a report at 11:46am on Sunday that an Indian female teacher had been physically assaulted by a student at the school. She was first treated at the island health centre and later transferred to Dr. Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital in Thinadhoo.

Indian newspaper Mathrubhumi identified the teacher as Smita Pillai, 35, and reported that her nose was fractured in the attack. Her husband, Deepak, told the newspaper that an eighth‑grade student assaulted her in the computer lab.

According to the report, Smita told the student she would record the behaviour and report it to the principal if he did not stop playing a computer game. The student allegedly threw her phone, struck her in the face, and repeatedly pulled her hair. The newspaper said Smita lost consciousness during the assault.

Deepak told Mathrubhumi he had reported the incident to police and the Education Ministry. He said neither the school nor the ministry had responded, and that he intended to raise the matter with the Indian High Commission before returning to India with Smita.

The student has been suspended and will undergo one week of counselling, according to the Indian media report.

Atoll School Principal Fathimath Nahidha could not be reached for comment.

The incident comes months after a widely circulated video showed a confrontation between a student and a foreign teacher at Addu High School last December. In that case, both the teacher and student were suspended. The Education Ministry later suspended the teacher, while the student was barred from school until completing an ethics programme and apologising.

The Education Ministry has not commented on the latest incident.