A 15-year-old girl, a Class 8 student of a Coimbatore school suffering from cerebral palsy, says she was forced to leave the school because her handwriting was illegible. She petitioned the collector on Monday, seeking admission in a government or corporation school so that she could complete Class 10.
Priya Senthilkumar, of Gandhipuram, who has a twin sister Prabhavathi, began facing difficulty in movement since birth. "She needed help to turn around or sleep on her side. She struggled to stand. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at this time," said Jayalakshmi Marimuthu, 60, her grandmother. "We used to take her to R S Puram daily for physiotherapy. She slowly learned to stand and walk wearing a belt," she added.
Once Priya could walk, the family, supported by her father, got a seat for her at St Marys School in Class 1, one year behind her sister. The school was aware of her disabilities. "Priya may not have been an excellent student, but she passed every subject except science, when she completed Class 8 last year," said her mother Lalitha.
"They gave us the TC last year, stating her handwriting was bad. They gave her free computer classes throughout the year. Once the computer classes were over, they reiterated that she could not attend the school because of her illegible handwriting," she added. Watching her twin sister get admission to a new school for Class 11, Priya became depressed. "I only want to finish Class 10 and get a job working on the computer," she said.
Education department officials and activists are shocked at the reason for dismissal, since a scribe is always available when sitting for the board exam. "Bad handwriting is a learning difficulty that can be corrected with proper care. The state government and school are duty bound to do the same," says the general secretary of the State Platform for Common Schools, Prince Gajendra Babu. "Anyway, it is irrelevant because the state board has provisions to provide disabled students with a scribe! The district collector should initiate an enquiry into this matter and ensure the child is readmitted into the school," he added.
St Marys High School said they only 'advised' the parents to take their child out of school and sign her up for some vocational training. Speaking to TOI, the school headmaster, Peter Mariadas said, "Priya has cerebral palsy and suffers from mental retardation. Till Class 8, she was taught by a Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan special educator because we are an aided school till Class 8".
Apparently, the special educator had told the principal that mentally retarded students would not be provided a scribe to write the board exam. "We just passed on this advice to the parents who voluntarily removed her from the school. In addition, the parents would have to pay 5000 each year towards tuition. This would go to waste if she does not pass the exam," said Mariadas.
The district chief educational officer, N Arulmurugan, said he does not know the specifics of the case. "The state board has provisions for a scribe and we have special schools for such children. Once the petition is forwarded to us, we will take necessary action and ensure the child is admitted in a school," he said.
Priya Senthilkumar, of Gandhipuram, who has a twin sister Prabhavathi, began facing difficulty in movement since birth. "She needed help to turn around or sleep on her side. She struggled to stand. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at this time," said Jayalakshmi Marimuthu, 60, her grandmother. "We used to take her to R S Puram daily for physiotherapy. She slowly learned to stand and walk wearing a belt," she added.
Once Priya could walk, the family, supported by her father, got a seat for her at St Marys School in Class 1, one year behind her sister. The school was aware of her disabilities. "Priya may not have been an excellent student, but she passed every subject except science, when she completed Class 8 last year," said her mother Lalitha.
"They gave us the TC last year, stating her handwriting was bad. They gave her free computer classes throughout the year. Once the computer classes were over, they reiterated that she could not attend the school because of her illegible handwriting," she added. Watching her twin sister get admission to a new school for Class 11, Priya became depressed. "I only want to finish Class 10 and get a job working on the computer," she said.
Education department officials and activists are shocked at the reason for dismissal, since a scribe is always available when sitting for the board exam. "Bad handwriting is a learning difficulty that can be corrected with proper care. The state government and school are duty bound to do the same," says the general secretary of the State Platform for Common Schools, Prince Gajendra Babu. "Anyway, it is irrelevant because the state board has provisions to provide disabled students with a scribe! The district collector should initiate an enquiry into this matter and ensure the child is readmitted into the school," he added.
St Marys High School said they only 'advised' the parents to take their child out of school and sign her up for some vocational training. Speaking to TOI, the school headmaster, Peter Mariadas said, "Priya has cerebral palsy and suffers from mental retardation. Till Class 8, she was taught by a Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan special educator because we are an aided school till Class 8".
Apparently, the special educator had told the principal that mentally retarded students would not be provided a scribe to write the board exam. "We just passed on this advice to the parents who voluntarily removed her from the school. In addition, the parents would have to pay 5000 each year towards tuition. This would go to waste if she does not pass the exam," said Mariadas.
The district chief educational officer, N Arulmurugan, said he does not know the specifics of the case. "The state board has provisions for a scribe and we have special schools for such children. Once the petition is forwarded to us, we will take necessary action and ensure the child is admitted in a school," he said.