Copyright thehindu
A five-year-old kindergarten child of ALP School, Chelembra, who was allegedly denied entry on school bus because of fee delay, has discontinued his classes. The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has registered a case against the school authorities and began an investigation. Assistant Education Officer (AEO), Parappanangadi, has issued a letter to the school manager demanding disciplinary action against the headmistress, who had allegedly instructed the bus driver not to let the child board the bus. Education authorities said they would wait for a few days for the school manager to take action. They said they would decide further action if the manager did not comply. They said they were aware that the headmistress, Sreeja T., is the manager’s wife. Child Rights Commission member Cicily Joseph said that it was a grave offence from the school to deny the little child entry on the bus and thus subject him to insult and hurt. “We will seek a hearing at the earliest. If a physical hearing is difficult in a short period, we will opt an online hearing,” said Ms. Joseph. The incident that sparked outrage occurred on October 13, when the child was allegedly barred from boarding the school bus by the driver, reportedly on instructions from the headmistress. The driver allegedly informed the child that he could not board the bus because his mother had not paid the overdue fees of ₹1,000 for two months. The child felt humiliated, especially as his neighbour-classmate was allowed to board. Whimpering, the child was left stranded at the bus-stop. An elderly woman who knew the child took him home, and his mother was flustered. “I had told my child’s class teacher that I would pay the fees in a few days. Still they treated my child in an unkind manner,” the mother, a part-time teacher, said. She paid the bus fees that day itself. “I will never send my child to that school again,” she said. Her child has stopped attending classes since. “I try to teach him at home,” she said. “What is even more painful is that my child is being ridiculed by his friends for not paying fees,” she said. Her husband, an expatriate worker in Abu Dhabi, is due to return home soon on visa exit. Despite the incident being widely condemned as “inhuman”, surprisingly, no political party or student organisation has stepped forward to support the child’s cause. The mother has taken it upon herself to seek justice, lodging complaints with various authorities, including Education Minister, Director of General Education, Child Rights Commission, police and the local panchayat. The police have reportedly asked her to wait and said they will summon her when needed.
