TENKASI: An 18-year-old girl from Kattunayakar community, who was denied a college seat in a government-aided educational institution after the district administration refused to issue her a community certificate, got a free seat from Einstein College of Arts and Science (ECAS) on Wednesday.
Ezhilvanan, Secretary of ECAS, handed over the admission order to Vijayalakshmi of Kattunayakar community from Alwarkurichi. He promised her free education, transportation facility, and uniform.
The New Indian Express had reported Vijayalakshmi's plight on August 13 and September 6 and drawn the state government's attention to this matter. “I thought of giving up my dream of higher studies as all my efforts to obtain the community certificate ended in vain. However, I have now joined B.Sc., Mathematics and I'm planning to start preparing for the competitive examinations," Vijayalakshmi told TNIE.
The DMK MP M K Kanimozhi who had requested Ezhilvanan for this seat for Vijayalakshmi told TNIE that even though the tribal girl got the seat in ECAS, she will put her efforts to get her a community certificate. “My primary intention was to make her study at any cost. That is why I got her a seat in ECAS with the approval of the girl’s father. However, I am talking with the district administration to issue Vijayalakshmi a community certificate,” she said.
Meanwhile, Vijayalakshmi’s father Sankar claimed that the revenue officials are forcing him to avail the certificate for his daughter under the Kuravan community of SC category instead of his Kattunayakar community that falls under the ST category. “I hope that the intervention by Kanimozhi will get us a correct community certificate,” he said.
Vijayalakshmi is set to become the first graduate from her locality in Alwarkurichi. Due to the lack of community certificates, her cousins used to study till Plus Two and then look for jobs without a college degree. Some of them joined self-finance diploma courses.