Elite schools may be reluctant to open their doors to poor students as required under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, but are some being actively prejudiced against the children they are forced to admit? Five students from disadvantaged backgrounds who joined the prestigious Oxford Indian School in Nandini Layout on June 6 with the hope of getting quality education in a private school, claim their dreams were shattered the very first day. They were given no place in the front rows of the classroom, no uniforms, no textbooks, no library facility, no place in the playground or even in the school assembly and were deliberately kept away from other students, the children complain. But worse was to come, according to them.

On the instructions of the school teachers tufts of their hair were allegedly cut to brand them as different from the other children. “It happened Friday evening. The teacher told a student to cut our hair. He did as told and the teacher later asked us to take the hair home and show it to our parents,” says one child, Misba Shariff. Besides Misba, her friends, Madina Kouser, Master Saleem, Sowvyashree and Shobha also claim to have suffered the same humiliation. While Shobha is an orphan the parents of the other students are auto drivers, push cart vendors and so on.

“One student came with a razor and cut the hair of all students admitted under RTE. We were sitting in the last row,” says master Saleem. Madina says she doesn’t understand why her hair was cut. “I am not getting any good education at this school. The teachers are not giving us any attention. We are taught the alphabets and numbers but nothing else. They are not even allowing us to place our tiffin boxes along with those of other students and they check what we bring to eat,” she says.

Misba’s mother, Reshma Bhanu, claims the students have been left traumatised by the experience. “If anyone asks them about it tears well up in their eyes,” she adds. Their parents say they have tried to meet the school management, but they are never available. “If we ask the teachers they claim the incident was the result of a fight between the students and ask us to raise the issue at the parent-teachers’ meeting. But till now they have not called such a meeting. If we go to the school, the security personnel treat us like dogs,” complains Reshma.

Madina’s father, Nayaz Pasha, says the school authorities have not given her a school belt and tie as they carry its emblem. “When we asked for them we were told we would get them next year. I have read that Dr.Ambedkar was humiliated in the classroom and now we are experiencing the same,” he adds angrily. But he says he doesnt intend to stop sending his daughter to the school. “If we stop, it will be more of a humiliation,” Nayaz contends.

Meanwhile the school management, when contacted, denied the allegations levelled against its teachers. Chairman of the school, Ajith Prabhu, claimed all students were being treated equally. “They have been mischievous from the start.We treat all students equally,” he asserted.

Parents wary of filing complaint
While some students admitted under RTE and their parents are on the warpath against the Oxford English School in Nandhini Layout, the police say unless a formal complaint is lodged against it, they can do nothing in the matter.

The Nandhini Layout police claim that although they had asked the parents of three students and Mr
D. Narayan, founder president of the Dalit Samrajya Sthapana Samithi (DSSS), protesting outside the school to file a formal complaint, they had refused to do so. “The parents were unwilling to file a complaint saying their children would be afraid of talking to us,” said the police, who don’t seem to be convinced about Mr Narayan’s credentials either.

“On one occasion, Narayan and his associates were seen near the school and told us that an RTE quota student, riding pillion with his father, had been stoned, but they refused to file a complaint saying they would settle the issue amicably,” they recalled, adding that another private school in the area had also been accusing Mr Narayan of harassment.

“The school management claims he visits them and demands a list of the students admitted under the RTE quota. He also reportedly accuses the school of ill treating the kids by making them stand at the end of the line during prayers. Nearly three criminal cases have been registered against him in different police stations including ours,” they added.

The police also claimed that three children had now admitted that their hair was cut by mischievous classmates and the teachers had no role to play in the matter. “Two victims say their hair was cut by a classmate during the crafts period. The kids were given scissors to cut papers with for craft work,” the police said.