Friday, March 18, 2016

CALL TO ALL POLITICAL PARTIES IN TAMIL NADU BY PARENTS OF SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

RESOLUTION PASSED IN THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF
THE STUDENTS’ WELFARE ASSOCIATION OF PARENTS, (SWAP), COIMBATORE
ON 11.03.2016

It is hereby resolved unanimously to raise the following demands before all organizations concerned with Education, before the All India Meeting of AIPWA to be held at New Delhi and before all political parties and to call upon the parents in Tamil Nadu to consider casting their votes to those parties which declare their support for these issues in their manifestoes:
1)   To enforce ‘Free and Compulsory Education to all children from the age of 6 to 14” as envisaged in Article 21A of the Constitution of India
[21A. Right to education.—The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine. ]
 without any dilution because, unless it is made free for all children, there will be discrimination in the amount paid as reimbursement between different children of different areas and different schools which is against the fundamental right to equality and also by not providing free education to all children, the Fundamental Right to Free Education is not fulfilled.
2)   Until the above is fulfilled, to ensure that every State has a Fee determination committee, under an Act of the Legislature, which will cover all private schools, and the parents are also heard before the fixing of the fees, ensure that the fixed fees alone is collected and bring all types of syllabus / schools under the control of the Chief Educational Officers of each District to enable complaint redressal of all school parents with regard to the above matter.
3)   Make rules to enable admission of children into schools on ‘Neighborhood school’ concept, through single window system.
4)   To strive to amend Article 21A of the Constitution by making it applicable for children from the age of ‘4 to 18’, considering the change in circumstances.
5)   Introduce uniform syllabus for all schools within each state immediately and for the entire Nation in a phased manner.
6)   Provide education up-to secondary level through mother tongue.
7)   Ban use of any additional books in schools, apart from the prescribed syllabus and prescribe maximum weight for school bags (including lunch bags)
8)   Enact legislation on educational qualification, pay and allowances and conditions of service for teaching and non-teaching staff in all private schools.
9)   Make PTA compulsory in all schools.  PTA to be formed by method of election and not selection. 
10)                Abolish the Board of Matriculation Schools in Tamil Nadu consequent upon the introduction of Samacheer Kalvi (Uniform Sylabus).



Sunday, June 22, 2014

MEMORANDUM TO THE HON'BLE CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMIL NADU ON RTE PROVISIONS

Respected and Hon’ble Madam,
       It is learnt that the Government of Tamil Nadu has taken a decision to do away with economic criterian for admissions under the RTE Act, in respect of children belonging to the downtrodden classes and categories of the society like SC, ST, MBC, BC, etc. 
In this regard, we welcome the above step for the above reasons:
1)    The concept of reservation itself has been on the basis of the status in the society and not on a non-verifiable economic critetrian.
2)    It is well known that the schools or the Education department do not have any mechanism to verify the economic status declared by the parents and even in case of Income Tax assessments, there is a huge suppression, particularly in cases of non-salaried class, because, upto Rs. 2 lakhs annual income, IT returns need not be filed and it is not possible to bring the huge mass of population not filing IT Returns under scanner.
However, considering that the total population belonging to the above said deprived classes and categories will be much more than the presently permitted 25%, and that the Constitutional obligation is to ensure ‘free and compulsory education to every child from 6 to 14 years, in such manner as the state may decide’, it is requested that the Central Government may be urged to
(i)               increase the percentage under RTE to enable at least every child belonging to the above said deprived categories to have free education and
(ii)              also to enforce the above benefit of free education, for the presently studying students of the above said category also, and not to restrict it to admission stage alone.

 yours truly,

 (R. Manimohan)
Chairman, SWAP, CBE

Friday, January 18, 2013

Memorandum to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu regarding alteration of school timings



Respected and Hon’ble Madam,
       We are given to understand that the Officials of the Education Department are considering revision of school timings in order to avoid the rush in the public transport and consequent risk to the lives of students.  In this regard, it is requested that the Education and Transport Officials concerned may kindly be directed to decide on the issues taking the following factors into consideration:
1)    The break-up details of students of Government, aided and private schools using public transport.
2)     The difficulties that could be faced by children in the event of different classes opening at different times because younger children would be invariably accompanied by elder children from the same houses or vicinity.
3)    The climatic conditions of each area and whether it could cause inconvenience for children if their school timings are altered.
4)    Whether alternatively, transport department cannot allot separate public transport busses in each route for ‘Students and Ladies’ ‘exclusively’ during the peak hours, with proper protection.
5)    All schools could be instructed not to refuse entry for students even if they come late.
We hope the administration at the District Levels would be directed to consider the issues after discussing it with all concerned including representatives of Parents’ Organisations.

Thanking you for this opportunity,

(R. Manimohan)
Chairman, C-o-c of SWAP

Monday, December 10, 2012

Fees Fixed by Committee for Schools which had appealed in the High Court

The details of fees fixed by the Committee headed by Justice S.R.Singaravelu for the schools whose appeals had been disposed off by the Hon'ble High Court of Madras have been published in http://www.tn.gov.in/departments/sedu/feedetermination_SRS_2012_13/courtcases/matric/11_Coimbatore/Fixation.pdf.  The fees is for the years 2012-13 to 2014-15.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

SWAP Condoles the bereavement of Shri. M. Karunagaran, District Collector, Coimbatore.

WITH A HEAVY HEART WE CONDOLE THE SUDDEN DEMISE OF SMT. HEMA KARUNAGARAN, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, COIMBATORE ON 4.11.2012.  OUR HEART FELT CONDOLENCES TO HER HUSBAND SHRI. M. KARUNAGARAN, OUR BELOVED DISTRICT COLLECTOR, TO THEIR CHILDREN AND TO THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.  MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE.

THIS CITY WILL EVER REMEMBER THE SERVICES OF THIS GOOD INTENTIONED POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS EVER WILLING TO HELP PEOPLE IN DISTRESS.

MAY GOD GRANT HER SENSITIVE HUSBAND AND HER YOUNG CHILDREN THE COURAGE TO FACE THIS TRAGEDY.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

All India Conference of Parents Association to be held at Delhi on 13.1.2013

All India Parents Association (AIPA) will be organizing its Ist All India Conference on Sunday the 13th January 2013 at Gandhi Peace Foundation Hall, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, near ITO, New Delhi, to push for its Three major demands namely 

1. Need for a Central legislation for regulating Fee and Other Charges in unaided 
private schools.( National Law to Regulate Fee in unaided private schools)

2. Provision for minimum of 50% representation to the parents in the School 
management committees in unaided private schools.

3. Upgrading the standard of all government, municipal or schools run by any other 
authority to the minimum standard equivalent to the level of Kendriya Vidhyalaya 
(Central Schools).

We would like participation from all States/ Districts.

Those who are interested to participate in the conference may register. 
The timings of the conference and the registration Information will be provided in tomorrows release
Any suggestion may be forwarded at isgambhir@gmail.com,
or contact 9810133325

Saturday, September 1, 2012

ABHIMANYUS AND ARJUNAS


OF ABHIMANYUS FIRST:
        
A 15 year old boy passes his matric exam with flying colours.  He scores 91%.  He is happy, his parents are happy.  His friends of the same class are all given admission into the 11th on the very day of results or on the very next day – even those who have scored lesser – in his own school.  But in his case, the school says ‘we do not want to give admission to you because your father is one of the members of the Parents’ Association’. 

The Parents’ Association approaches the Principal. He gives a cold shoulder.  After repeated pleas, a representation is made to the District Collector, Chief Educational Officer and Inspector of Matriculation Schools.  An enquiry is ordered. 

When the Inspector of matriculation schools visits the concerned school, the management parades almost all the teachers, armed with separate letters, addressed to the Inspector of Matriculation Schools, stating that the behaviour of the concerned student was bad.  Reason for their not taking action earlier was that they did were waiting for him to complete his Matric.  Among the accusations about character were that he used to disturb his pals in the class; he used to disturb others standing around him during assembly, during prayer, even during playing of national anthem; he used to back-answer to teachers; he used to be rough; he was using his father’s post (father works as a courier in a Bank), he did not listen in the class; he showed ugly signs to some female teacher; because of him another female teacher had resigned from the school, etc. (Incidently the Times of India had verified this allegation and had reported that the Teacher concerned had told them that the student was in fact an excellent student)  The accusations would look like the boy was a monster. And even one of the said acts, had they actually been performed, in a private school, that too a Christian Institution at that, would not have been tolerated (quite rightly) and the parent would have been summoned and reprimanded and if repeated would have been entered in the progress card or the diary of the student.  No such thing had happened.  Further, the Inspector of Matriculation School had also quite conscientiously conducted an enquiry with the other class mates of the student.  They all refuted the contentions of the management-tutored-statements of their teachers.  Accordingly, the IMS issues a letter to the school management stating that their accusation against the student lacks evidence on enquiry and that considering the attendance of the student and his percentage of marks he may be considered for admission in the same school.

There is silence from the side of the management.  Since it had already been almost 3 weeks since the classes had started and nothing was yet known regarding the decision of the management of the school, the Parents’ Association decided to meet the Principal before once again taking up the matter with the State administration.  This time, to give moral support to these parents, the Parents’ Association representatives of other schools in the city and particularly in the vicinity decide to meet the Parent of the said boy outside the school. 

But there is a battalion of Police posted on the outskirts of the school to prevent the parents from even standing and talking there.  Upon stating that the SWAP had made a complaint to the Commissioner of Police on the issue and that we were also interested in knowing the outcome of the issue, the Inspector assures to know the same from the Principal.  He takes the Parents of the boy, the student and one representative of the Parents’ Association of the school and meets the Principal.  All this happens after the children have gone to their classes after their morning assembly.  The Principal refusing to give any clear cut answer, merely states that he has already replied to the IMS.

There after the parents representatives decide to meet the District Collector again. 

In the meanwhile, it is reported that after the Parents left the place, a battalion of teaching or non-teaching staff started abusing the gathered media persons, from within the campus and it is also stated that some of these visuals had been aired.

In the meanwhile, not knowing what to do, the Parent is advised by his well wishers to approach the Hon’ble High Court on a writ. And upon knowing that the school was not going to reconsider their decision, he gives a go ahead to his advocate to file the Writ in the Court.

The High Court admits the petition and issues notice to the Government and the concerned school.

In the meanwhile, the IMS who gets the reply of the school, finds that the school had given fresh conditions for admitting the student.  They wanted an undertaking from the Parents’ Association and the Parent of the student that there will not be any ‘interference’ from them in the administration of the school.  The demand against the so called ‘interference’ was nothing but a blatant demand that there should not be any questions about whatever fees the school shall determine in violation of the Act and Rules framed by the Government for the purpose – because the Parents’ Association it self had been formed only due to this dispute.

In the High Court the school reiterates all the allegations against the character of the student which they had made before the IMS and also show case the letters given by all the teachers on the same day.  They also allege misbehaviour on the part of the Parent and the Parents’ Association.  They plead that due to these they were not able to run the school at all.  The school which had no qualms in demanding higher fees than that was determined, in spite of an Act of Legislature and Rules framed by the Government and the specific injunction against such action, issued by the District Collector in his meeting on 10.3.2012, however had no qualms in claiming that the mere presence of some parents outside the gates of the school to the grieving student and his parents a moral support was a ‘demonstration’ or a ‘dharna’ against the injunctions of the District Collector in the very same meeting and that the peace and tranquility of their institution was disturbed.

And the Hon’ble High Court’s Honourable Judge who heard the matter swallowed the entire tale put forth by the School.  It was not even asked how the final decision of the school in the matter was stated to have been taken on the very day the Principal was filing the counter affidavit and how such a decision could be taken on that date, when the matter was already sub-judice.

The Government Pleader who also had received notice in the case, who ought to have got the matters verified with the District Collector or CEO of the District, did not find it fit to put forth before the Honourable Court that the administration of the District and Education department had found that the allegations were without substance.  In fact the IMS had clearly stated in his letter to the school that their condition regarding Association not ‘interfering’ with administration of the school was a clear contradiction in terms of their earlier position.  This fact also the Government Pleader failed to put forth before the Judge.

The claim of the school that the Parents’ Association was a rebel body and that it was functioning in spite of an official PTA functioning in the school, which was a blatant lie, was also not countered by the State’s PP.

The Court also did not go into why there would be a Rebel body, particularly of Parents and even if it existed, whether constitutionally it was incorrect for adults to form associations in the society, etc.

There was no attempt to verify the allegation of the School that these poor parents wielded great influence with the Police.

Result was that the Hon’ble High Court in dismissing the petition of the parent on behalf of the student came down heavily on the character of the student, the Parent and justified the action of the School.  All this apart from their holding that even other wise the Miniority Institutions were free to decide on Admissions on their own.

If anyone thought that such a ‘Chackra Vyuha’ of a legal system would not have been engineered in this country against a tender youth of 15 years, that ‘maharathas’ with legal acumen would be arrayed against him and law will be a mute witness in the execution, they are wrong.  It has happened in the present age and the student is from Coimbatore.

No one involved in the episode, for a moment appears to have considered what respect the young mind would have for our system of justice and jurispudence, in his future years of life.


AND ON ARJUNAS NOW:

          If some one thought that only novice of our legal system could be felled like this, they are wrong. 

Even when a Senior Advocate of the High Court who was to go to the Supreme Court to file a case – a public interest petition – was brutally beaten up and maimed, after more than a decade of proceedings, the Hon’ble judicial system has not been able to lay its hands on the persons who had perpetuated such a heinous crime - against one of their own officers.

Reacting to this, the victim himself a great legal luminary stated:  “There is always a divine punishment which one cannot escape”.

If these are indications for the times to come, the dark ages are back again.