DINDIGUL: As many as seven female students belonging to the Paliyar tribes were denied entry at government schools and government girls hostels in Dindigul on Saturday, as they had not produced birth certificates.
Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Hill Tribes Association (Dindigul) Secretary T Ajay Gosh said, “Around seven girls studying in four different government and government-aided schools and staying at government girls hostels were denied entry. Though they have applied for birth certificates through online camps recently, the school authorities were harsh and did not realise the background of the students.
The girls belong to Scheduled Tribes and hail from hilly regions, and most of their parents, who are daily wage labourers, have not even studied up to Class 10. Some of the students studying in classes 8, 9 and 10 live under the care of their grandmothers and relatives who live in the urban segment near Dindigul, and currently live in government hostels.
Students in classes 5 and 6, who are going to a government primary school in Palakarai near Dindigul city, recently applied for Aadhaar cards during the mobile camps and have not received them yet. The school authorities are negligent to the socio-economic background of the students, and ill-treat them by insisting for birth certificates to attend classes.”
Sugapriya, one of the parents, said, “Two weeks ago, the district administration conducted mobile camps for registration of Aadhaar, community certificates and birth certificates. Despite promising to furnish the certificate within one week, school authorities, especially hostel wardens, issued verbal threats. We are unable to face the harassment of the warden of the girls hostel.”
A class 9 student of govt school in Dindigul said, “The hostel warden, Pichaiyammal, verbally abused my mother, and one of my close friends left school a few months ago after being verbally abused by her.” As the school authorities were unavailable for comment, the tribes complained to the RDO (Dindigul) division.
Speaking to TNIE, RDO (Dindigul) K Sakthivel said, “It is condemnable that authorities at government schools and hostels denied entry to the students. I have ordered officials to check with school authorities, and if they deny entry again action will be taken.”