A group of girls from Mose Ministries Home, which is run under the supervision of District Social Welfare Officer and a committee appointed by the High Court, petitioned the District Collector to release their academic certificates and other documents to pursue higher education or find employment.
Around 20 girls of the home met the Collector at the Collectorate on Monday and handed over their petition.
The home, which has been in the news since 2015 for being run without authorisation, has 83 girls between 18 and 25 years of age.
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In the petition, the girls stated that they had appealed to the District Social Welfare Officer several times, seeking their educational certificates and other documents, which are in the custody of the officer, as per a Supreme Court directive. The girls said their counsel too had sent a petition in this regard.
However, they were not given the certificates and their repeated pleas have gone unheeded. The girls claimed that they had given it in writing to the District Social Welfare Officer on what they wanted to study.
In the absence of certificates they could not immediately disclose as to where they wanted to continue their education and the cost involved.
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When contacted District Social Welfare Officer, Tiruchi, Thameemunisa, said the authorities were ready to give the photo copies of the certificates but the girls refused to accept them maintaining that they needed the originals. The committee was also willing to help the girls in securing admission to colleges but they declined.
“The committee has no objection in handing over the certificates but only wants due procedure to be followed,” she said.
The Social Welfare Department would soon send a reply to girls and their counsel on their petition, she said.