Disability rights activists in Chennai are angry over reports that a school
in the city expelled a child allegedly because he has Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A consumer forum in Chennai has demanded that
the school pay a compensation of Rs 20,000 to the student who
was discriminated against.
The complaint was filed by the child’s father, T
Prithviraj against the Narayana E-Techno
School.Prithviraj says he enrolled his son in Class 1 in 2017 and
was told that the annual fees would be Rs 60,000. The father paid Rs 6,000
during admission and promised to pay the rest very soon.
But within a week the school issued a transfer certificate and expelled the
child. Prithivraj filed a complaint and sought for a compensation of Rs
10 lakh for the mental agony. A legal notice was also sent to the
school.
Many experts are calling this a clear cut case of discrimination.
Chithra Shah, Founder of the Satya
Special School, which is an inclusive school in Pondicherry has said
this is harassment and needs immediate action.
The authorities at Narayana E-Techno School have clearly violated the laws.
How can they expel a child based on their disability? Every child has the
right to education and there are laws that support free education to a
disabled child. – Chita Shah, Founder, Satya Special
School
Shah has also criticized the family for agreeing to accept a compensation
amount. “No amount of money can compensate for what the child must have
gone through. Now, more schools are going to follow suit. They will
discriminate against a disabled child and get away with it by paying a meagre
amount as compensation”.
The school, on its part, has denied the allegations. Authorities here say
that Prithviraj voluntarily withdrew his son from the school. An argument
that has not convinced the court.
Subhashini Sankalp, Co-Founder,
Sankalp Special School, Chennai, says that the school must
issue an apology.
“It is compulsory that all schools must have special educators who reach
out to needs and requirements of children with special needs. Every child has
the right to education and violating them of their rights is a violation of
the law as well”.
Hopefully this attention and outrage will serve as a warning to other schools
to not discriminate against children with disabilities.
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Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21466
