Denied re-admission, student knocks HC door

At a time when Delhi government is mulling to provide free education to every girl up to <g data-gr-id="63">under-graduate</g> level as a legal right in its proposed Charter of Women’s Rights Bill – 2015, a class IX girl is being forced to drop out by a Delhi government school. The girl’s mother has now knocked the doors of Delhi high court as a last resort to save the future of her daughter.  

The case is related <g data-gr-id="59">a Amanpreet</g> Kaur, a student of class IX in Rani Jhansi SKV Railway Colony, Tughlakabad. She continued her studies in this school from April 2014 and regularly attended classes till August 13, 2014. On August 14, on hearing <g data-gr-id="57">sudden</g> demise of one of her close relatives her parents took her to Punjab where after some days she fell ill and could return to Delhi only in <g data-gr-id="58">February,</g> 2015. 

“We approached the <g data-gr-id="56">school</g> but they said as the examination is about to start she will be readmitted in the next session in the same class. Since then, we have been running from pillar to post to get the admission done,” said Gurmeet Kaur, her mother. After all the doors were closed, the parents on last Monday filed a writ petition in Delhi high court.  

This is not a one-off case  where juveniles in Delhi are being forced to drop out. Ankit is another example. He studied in a private school in <g data-gr-id="44">Kondali</g>, East Delhi and completed class VIII in 2015. 

As the school fee of higher class became beyond their reach, they decided to admit him in a government school but were shown ‘no vacant seat’ by government schools in the nearby areas. 

Ankit is also forced to discontinue his studies for no fault of his. 

The third case is of Jitender who is also forced to become a <g data-gr-id="51">drop out</g> but with a different <g data-gr-id="45">back ground</g>. Jitender completed his studies in a school in Uttar Pradesh, his parents sent him to Delhi with her aunt as further studies were not possible there. He also ended up joining the pool of drop-outs in the city. Both of them are now planning to file a petition in Delhi high court with the hope that the court will help them to resume their studies.  

“There are hundreds and thousands of students who are forced to become drop-outs by <g data-gr-id="50">apathetic</g> behaviour of principals of government schools,” said Ashok Agarwal, eminent social jurist and advocate in all these cases. 

“As per the rule of Delhi government, the last date of admission in Delhi government schools should be August 31 but this time the admissions were closed in July,” added Agarwal. 

He further demanded that the government should open special counters in all the 272 wards in the city to bring back <g data-gr-id="43">drop-outs</g> in schools. 

“It’s surprising that government plans to open shops in all the wards to sell onions but are doing nothing to control increasing drop-outs,” he expressed his anguish with a rhetoric. 

Agarwal claimed that the number of drop-out students <g data-gr-id="41">are</g> in lakhs in the national Capital.