As many as 267 tribal children studying in the upper primary section of the Government Higher Secondary School at Agali in Attappady face a great deal of discrimination perpetrated by their own teachers, an investigation conducted by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has found.
Violating strict government rules preventing separation of students on ethnic grounds, school authorities have created exclusive divisions for tribal students, that too taught by temporary teachers drawing daily wages. VACB circle inspector K. Krishnankutty told The Hindu that the school had separate divisions for non-tribal children under permanent teachers.
The discrimination was prevailing in classes between V and VIII and the exclusive divisions for tribal children were exempted from following the syllabus and textbooks. Instead, the temporary teachers were advised to teach them English and Malayalam alphabet, apart from basic arithmetic.
The periodic examinations were also conducted separately for tribal students, said Mr. Krishnankutty. The VACB has seized separate sets of questions for tribal and non-tribal students from the school.
Report within a week
It was a VACB investigation in response to an anonymous petition on the lack of probity in the appointment of temporary teachers in the school that exposed the discrimination. After registering a case on its part, the VACB has urged the Education Department to initiate department-level action against the school authorities. The VACB will hand over a detailed report on the prevailing situation in the school to the department within a week.
According to Mr. Krishnankutty, the school has collected ₹400 forcibly from each tribal student as PTA fund, violating the prevailing government order prohibiting collection of any funds from children of aborigines.
“Every day, the tribal children have to take turns to help preparing the noon meal. They were also forced to carry lunch for about 60 teachers of the school from the school kitchen to the staff room. Teachers are not permitted to eat lunch prepared exclusively for tribal children,” said Mr. Krishnankutty.
When contacted, headmistress J.M. Freeda Mary said the divisions in the upper primary section had already been reconstituted as directed by the VACB. “We are not showing any discrimination to tribal students. Most tribal children are finding late entry to the school after the school reopened in June. So they got exclusive divisions. Now, we reconstituted the divisions with equal representation for tribal and non-tribal students,” she said. She also claimed that the teachers were taking added effort to teach the tribal children English and Malayalam alphabet along with basic arithmetic. “There is no question of not following the syllabus,” she said.
“The VACB investigation has proved that tribal children face secondary treatment at the Agali school. It is a clear example of discrimination and social exclusion,” said tribal activist K.A. Ramu.
