COIMBATORE: Like last year, there are complaints that several private schools are maintaining caste and religion columns in the bio-data section of diaries issued to students. S Ravikumar (name changed), father of a child who is studying in Class 8 in CBSE school on Thadagam Road, said, “Last year, we opposed the columns and the management assured us they would not print caste and religion details. But this year’s diaries continue to have the caste and religion columns.”
Functionaries of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) on Monday submitted a petition to the district administration seeking action against the schools which ask for such details. DVK president M Nehrudass told TNIE, “We submitted a complaint with evidence to the district administration last year. However, officials didn’t make proper inquiries in the private schools and submitted a reply that the schools asked for caste and religion details only while providing scholarships. It indicates that educational officers are also supporting private schools.”
When contacted, Chief Educational Officer L Sumathi told TNIE private schools must not ask for community details through the diary and that they should maintain such details in the office room only. She assured that the department would take steps on this matter through the district educational officer.