A block-level education department in Haryana’s Hisar village has issued directions to school principals to ensure that girls were not admitted to a co-educational school when a separate school was available for them.
The letter, issued a week ago, says that as per the norms of the education department when separate schools were available for girls and boys in a village then admissions should also be made accordingly.
The letter was issued to two schools - Government Girls Middle School (Class 1-8) and Government High School Co-Educational (Class 1-10) - of Bhagana village on April 29. It also refers to a resolution adopted by the village panchayat in this regard and directed the principals concerned to take action as per the departmental norms and inform the office.
When contacted, District Elementary Education Officer Baljit Sahrawat told The Hindu that the directions were issued due to some “misunderstanding” and the official concerned was directed to withdraw them. “As per the Right to Education Act, the boys and girls are free to study in the school of their choice. It seems some misunderstanding led to issuance of directions. The official has been directed to withdraw them,” said Mr. Sahrawat.
Village sarpanch Rakesh Panghal denied that any such resolution was ever adopted by the panchayat. “I got to know about it through media reports. Our panchayat never adopted any such resolution. We have sought a meeting with the teachers of the two schools today [on Monday] to resolve the matter as it brings bad name to the whole village,” said Mr. Panghal.
Sources, however, said that the teachers of the girls' school were worried over dwindling number of students in the school and got the directions issued from the block-level office to stop the influx to the co-educational school. “Since the number of admissions to the girls' school were fast dwindling, the teachers of this school got an applicaton signed by a few locals pleading that girls should not be allowed admission in the co-educational school in the same village.
“The letter was then submitted to the BEEO who issued the directions,” said a source in the village.
When a separate school is available for girls in a village