COIMBATORE: The Palli Kalvi Paathukappu Iyakkam (PKPI), a civil society organisation, has demanded the School Education Department to instruct headmasters of government and aided schools not to share Class 12 students' details with private colleges or middlemen for admissions.
S Chandrasekar, Coimbatore Zonal Coordinator of PKPI told TNIE that every year mediators and private college professors visit government and aided higher secondary schools to collect students' details along with contact numbers to lure them into their colleges. "Every year, they offer cash gifts up to Rs 10,000 to headmasters. In turn, a few headmasters in the district share students' details and contact numbers with mediators. The college staff and mediators then call the students and pressurise them to join, causing disturbance to the students and their parents," he said.
"In 2025, a Class 10 student from a government school on Pollachi Road scored low marks in board exam. The school had already shared her details with a private polytechnic college. The student, who scored low in Class 10, was initially refused Class 11 admission in the same school. Meanwhile, the college, having obtained the student's details, harassed the student and parents to join their polytechnic courses. However, as the parents stood strong, they admitted her to Class 11 in the same school after fighting with the HM," he recalled.
He hence urged the School Education Department to stop such practices in all schools, as mediators have started visiting them, particularly in rural areas. When contacted, a top district educational officer said necessary instructions would be issued to the HMs via circular.