While focused on enrolment, state schools tend to have no place for underprivileged

Tribune News Service

Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, April 23

While the state government claims to be committed to enrol more students in government schools of the state, few schools are allegedly denying admission to wards of the underprivileged. This is what happened with four girls from Bihar who had gone to seek admission at a government school in Sherpur.

It is unfortunate that there are these four girls who wish to study, but are not being given admission by the schools despite them showing a valid school transfer certificate from Bihar. RK YADAV, An NGO worker

Talking to The Tribune, Ram Narayan, a daily wager from Bihar, said he wanted his daughter Soni Kumari to get admission in Class V at Government Primary School, Sherpur, here. “Despite making several rounds, nothing could be arranged and we were told admission was not possible. I had heard that the state government was providing admission to all students who want to study in government schools. With high hopes, when I reached there with my wife and daughter, we were told that admission was not possible. Their behaviour was rude too as we belong to another state and are poor,” said Narayan.

It is not just Soni, who did not get admission, but two more girls Babita and Sapna seeking admission in classes VII and VIII, respectively, were also denied admission at Government Middle School, Sherpur. Babita, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Colony, which is a shanty town near Focal Point, told The Tribune that yesterday, she had gone to the school but school authorities turned them back saying that school certificates from Bihar will not be considered. “My father is

a daily wager while mother is polio-ridden. She works so that we both can

study, but she was disappointed when the school refused to provide admission,” said Babita.

RK Yadav, working for an NGO, said he had also written and brought it to the notice of the Ludhiana DC on April 9 through an online complaint but nothing came of it. “It is unfortunate that there are these are four girls, who wish to study but are not being given admission by the schools, despite them showing a valid school transfer certificate from Bihar,” said Yadav, adding that when their parents go for work, they stay alone, if they had joined some school, they could learn and study in an environment congenial for growth.

Principal of the Government Middle School, Sherpur, said the school has not refused admission to any child. Since the Aadhaar cards of the girls showed them to be above 15 years of age, they could not be accommodated here in the middle school, added the principal.

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