The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has appealed to Collector M. Karunakaran to ensure allocation of 25 per cent seats of all private schools to poor students during this academic year as mandated by the Right to Education Act.
In the petition, the SDPI cadres said to ensure transparency, the schools, on allocating the prescribed quantum of seats to such children, should have made an announcement on the schools’ information boards on April 2 itself and a copy should have been sent to the Office of the Inspector of Schools.
However, no school administrations followed this and there was no transparency in the schools’ fee structure as well as collection of tuition fee, the petition said.
“Hence, the Collector should form taluk-level committees comprising officials from revenue, education and police departments, besides social activists,” said I. Usmankhan, district president of the SDPI.
“No access to road”
A group of Dalits from Saradha Nagar near East Chezhiyanallur near here said in their petition that they were not allowed to use the road connecting their hamlet with East Chezhiyanallur as the stretch had been closed with branches of acacia.
“Since we’ve to use this stretch to reach the nearest main road, the Collector should instruct the police and revenue officials to open this road for public use,” said the villagers.
“Forced to work”
In her petition, P. Saroja from Oothankulam under Chinnakovilankulam police station limits alleged that she and her husband Pandi, who were given Rs. 90,000 as advance, were forced to work in the brick kiln run by one Palani of Aladipatti near Surandai. Even after the couple reportedly repaid a portion of the loan by working in the brick kiln, they were allegedly threatened to pay Rs. 1.74 lakh.
“Besides threatening me and my husband to register our house in his name, Palani, along with ‘MGR’ Pandian, is also threatening my son and daughter-in-law to give our house to them. The Collector should conduct an enquiry to save us from the bonded labour system,” Ms. Saroja said.
