A teacher was dismissed after a video surfaced showing her sleeping while her pupils used handheld fans to keep her cool in India.

The sleepy teacher is seen the video napping on a mat on the classroom floor while students stand around her, waving a portable fan in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Locals quickly pointed out the teacher's 'negligence' and drew similarities between the schoolchildren and the infamous punkhawallahs used by the British to keep them cool during the development of the subcontinent.

'It is appropriate to suspend her from her position in order to deter future teachers from making the same mistakes,' one resident said.

Another added: 'Students are not concentrating on their schoolwork. Instead, they are accustomed to idolising their professors.

'This is the status of government schools. Why does the government finance such carelessness with salaries? Every classroom ought to have cameras to keep an eye on this.'

Authorities announced they would form an investigative team to examine the incident further. The teacher, from Gokulpur, Dhanipur, was suspended.