Keertana (5) wants admission into Standard I under the Right To Education Act. The Narayan Guru English School at Katipalla is willing to admit her. The deadline was extended to accommodate children like her. But red tape in the Education Department is denying Keertana her right.
Keertana’s mother Pushpalata, a Billava, who rolls beedis to supplement the family income, has been running from pillar to post since January. She applied to the Narayan Guru School much ahead of the deadline of February 19, but had not submitted the caste and income certificates.
“I applied in the Nemmadi Kendra for the caste and income certificate. I had no idea that we had to wait for 21 days to get it. It was even further delayed due to the problems in the server, so we missed the first admission deadline,’’ Pushpalata told Express. When contacted, Mangalore BEO North Lokesh said Pushpalata’s application was rejected as it was not filed within the February 19 deadline. “The CPI circular extending the deadline for additional documents, also said the application should be within the February 19 deadline. The school, responding to our notice, has informed us in writing that Pushpalata’s application was not submitted by then,’’ Lokesh clarified.
With the help of a neighbour, Pushpalata wrote to the Mangalore DDPI and Commissioner of Public instruction about her plight.
Pushpalata’s was not an isolated case. Education expert Krishna Shastri Balila said many parents, unaware of the time needed to get income or caste certificates, filed applications just days before the deadline. “Due to ignorance about the RTE Act at the grass roots level, many parents were also not aware about the deadline,’’ he added. The Education Department did take note of this situation and extended the deadline to May 31. Pushpalata got hold of this circular and applied again. But the BEO, she said, “rudely rejected the application, claiming that the circular had not reached his office. Even when I showed him a copy of the circular, he was unmoved”.
Commissioner for Public Instruction S R Umashankar expressed surprise. “How is it possible? I have ensured that all BEOs and DDPIs have the circular. I even held a meeting with the zilla panchayat’s education standing committee at Mangalore. I will look into it,’’ he told Express.
The Dakshina Kannada district childline will file a complaint with Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman H R Umesh Aradhya.