Filing Right to Information (RTI) petitions, following them up, obtaining suppressed information and bending the stiff back of bureaucracy is nothing short of activism. But it became a necessity for two underdogs aspiring for decent education for their children.
Narsing Rao, a painter from Begumpet and A. Ramu, an autorickshaw driver from Tukaram Gate, stood out from among their lot by obtaining privileged information about admissions into the Hyderabad Public School (HPS) Begumpet, under the quota for Scheduled Castes.
They charge that the stipulation of annual family income for admission under SC quota has been violated in at least three to four cases. While the annual income should not exceed Rs.18,000 per annum, there was evidence to prove that quite a few parents were richer than they claimed.
Candidates for admission into Class I of HPS under SC quota are chosen by the Social Welfare Department. For that, 15 eligible children from each district are short-listed through draw of lots, after which the same procedure is followed again for final selection of 46 students.
Sons of Mr. Narsing Rao and Mr. Ramu were among the lucky ones chosen for the academic year 2013-14. However, a few parents went to court challenging the selection on the grounds that they had not produced Nativity Certificates. It resulted in annulment of their admission.
“We went to the district Collector and got him to direct the respective MROs to issue the certificate, but the court observed that they should have been submitted before the draw,” said Mr. Ramu. Bent upon reclaiming admission for their wards, these two fathers went about collecting the details of students admitted in their children’s place. The quest revealed interesting details.
One parent whose son did his pre-primary schooling in a private school before HPS, had paid Rs.32,200 as tuition fee, and Rs.12,100 for transport per annum.
Further, the boy’s application form mentions the father’s profession as an ‘Architect’.
“He has two houses, one at Viratnagar of Tolichowki, and another at Kothapet. One more parent was a contractor and has two houses and a car. Another, who claimed to be lorry cleaner, lives in a concrete house,” said Mr. Narsing Rao.
The duo also obtained RDO’s orders for cancellation of an income certificate obtained fraudulently. They also obtained proof about another parent, who obtained residence certificate from Bandlaguda, despite staying in Azampura. .
Now, Mr. Ramu and Mr. Narsing Rao are doing rounds of the Collectorate seeking cancellation of admissions for the children in question, in the hope that the seats will be allotted back to their wards.
