Right to Education: Is Really Every Child Getting Educated?

Section 14 (2), Right to Education Act, mentions that under no circumstances, a child who is unable to submit his/her age proof, can be declined to get admission in any school.

Have you ever wondered what a child and his poor parents might be going through, when their child has been denied an admission in school just because they are unable to prove the age of the child on paper? Unfortunately, one such incident has took place in Chandigarh’s Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS) situated in Sector 40B.

On April 15th, Harsh, a little boy with big dreams, got enrolled in GMSSB’s Grade I and started attending the school, after completing all the formalities of submitting all the essential documents like Birth Certificate (Birth Date of Harsh: Feb 3, 2013), Aadhar Card and Progress Report Card of LKG provided by his last school.

One day, Harsh’s mother, who works as a domestic helper, was informed from the school to shift Harsh to a higher grade i.e. grade II, as he belonged there as per his age. His mother, felt that Harsh has passed out from the Kindergarten and feared that the direct exposure to a higher standard course would be tough for him to get along. Sharing her concerns with the school, she pleaded them to make Harsh continue in first grade only.

A new twist came up when on 22^nd April, Harsh’s mother, was informed that Harsh can no longer attend the school. The reason stated for this harsh decision was that the birth certificate of Harsh does not have his name printed in there. Inspite of his mother’s assertion of having Harsh’s name in Aadhar Card and Report Card, the admission was cancelled.

The mother also shared that the school has cancelled the admission of her child until she submits the upgraded Birth Certificate of Harsh with his name printed on it. However, unable to afford any expense of traveling, she was not able to present the revised certificate as Harsh was born at her native place and not in Chandigarh.

She requested the panel at Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR), to instruct the principal of GMSSB 40B, to let her son rejoin the school and continue in first grade. It has been confirmed by CCPCR that a complaint related to this matter has been filed.