Chandigarh school gets notice for religious discrimination
The UT education department has issued a showcause notice to Vivek High School, Sector 38, for not adhering to the norms of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The UT education department has issued a showcause notice to Vivek High School, Sector 38, for not adhering to the norms of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The notice comes in the wake of the UT adviser receiving a complaint by a resident seeking admission for his ward at the school.
The complainant, Navneet Goyal, alleged that a notice on the school notice board claimed that the school was a Sikh minority school, and he was verbally informed that Sikh students would be given preference, which amounted to discrimination based on religion.
Acting on the complaint, director school education (DSE) instructed the district education officer (DEO) to issue a showcause notice to the school, stating that the “school’s claims of being a minority were wrong”.
“The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), New Delhi, has not yet decided the case,” read the letter addressed to the DEO.
Subsequently, a show-cause notice was issued to the school authorities asking for an explanation for “why misleading advertisements were being issued and why the admission criteria of RTE was not being followed”.
Confirming the development, DSE Rubinderjit Singh Brar said the school had been given a day to respond to the notice.
When contacted, Vivek High School chairperson HS Mamik said it was a violation of his fundamental rights.
“We are a minority institute, so about 20% seats would be reserved for students of the Sikh community. If Christian institutions can do so, then why can’t we? It’s as simple as that.”
The DSE had previously claimed a committee would be formed to look into violations by local private schools during the ongoing nursery admissions.