Some exceptional photos of a school teacher teaching in a classroom with a baby on his lap have recently gone viral on social media and sparked debate.

The incident took place at the Chinair Anjuman Ara High School in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila where English teacher Pankaj Madhu was seen taking lessons holding a five-month old child of a student on his lap.

Talking to the UNB correspondent, teacher Pankaj said a class IX student of the school was married off during the closure of the educational institutions due to the Covid pandemic.

Also read: Viral: Woman tortured for failing to pay interest on loan

“When the school reopened after the long closure we noticed the girl was absent. Later, we took initiative to bring back the dropped out student to school,” said Pankaj.

“We came to know that the student was married off and gave birth to a child when we went to visit her house and requested her family to send her back to school,” he said.

On Sunday, the girl came to her school with her child.

“As the school girl was facing problem to attend the class, I took the baby on my lap and started teaching. I had no intention to make the photos viral,” said the teacher.

Many people on social media appreciated the teacher for helping the student by holding her child while some expressed concerned over the baby’s health and hygiene issue.

Many raised questions blaming the mother for taking her child to classroom.

Contacted, headmaster of the school Mosharref Hossain refused to make any comment over the issue.

Also read: Audio clip of Kurigram DC, journo Ariful goes viral

Upazila Education officer Jiban Bhattachariya said the student should not take the child to school as the government did not make school attendance compulsory.