Hisar: Haryana could have absurd rules when it comes to dealing with women and girl children.
The latest was an order from a block-level education department in the northern Indian state’s Hisar district issued to school principals asking them not to admit girls to co-educational schools if separate schools for them are available.
The letter says that the Education Department’s norms stipulate that when separate schools were available for girls and boys in a village then admissions should also be made accordingly.
The letter was issued on April 29 to two schools — Government Girls Middle School and Government High School Co-Educational — of Bhagana village. It also refers to a resolution adopted by the village panchayat (council) in this regard and directed the principals concerned to take action according to the departmental norms and inform the office.
When contacted, District Elementary Education Officer Baljit Sahrawat told The Hindu newspaper that the directions were issued because of some “misunderstanding” and the official concerned was directed to withdraw them. “As per the Right to Education Act, the boys and girls are free to study in the school of their choice. It seems some misunderstanding led to issuance of directions. The official has been directed to withdraw them,” said Sahrawat.
Village sarpanch Rakesh Panghal denied that any such resolution was ever adopted by the panchayat. “I got to know about it through media reports. Our panchayat never adopted any such resolution. We have sought a meeting with the teachers of the two schools today [on Monday] to resolve the matter as it brings bad name to the whole village,” said Panghal.
Sources, however, said that the teachers of the girls’ school were worried over dwindling number of students in the school and got the directions issued from the block-level office to stop the influx to the co-educational school.
“Since the number of admissions to the girls’ school were fast dwindling, the teachers of this school got an application signed by a few locals pleading that girls should not be allowed admission in the co-educational school in the same village. The letter was then submitted to the BEEO who issued the directions,” said a source in the village.
The female literacy rate in Haryana stood at 56.9 percent in the 2011 Census, much below the national average of 65.91 percent. The male literacy of 84.06 percent was slightly above the national average of 82.14 percent.