Haryana minister orders school derecognition over refusal to let girl take exam due to unpaid fees

Kaithal (Haryana): Haryana minister Shyam Singh Rana on Friday ordered the cancellation of recognition of a private school here for allegedly preventing a girl from appearing in her class 5 examination due to non-payment of fees. The matter came up during a meeting of the District Grievance Redressal Committee here when Poonam Devi, a widow from Guliyana village, lodged a complaint against the school located in Kakaut village.

According to the complaint, the school did not allow her daughter to take her class 5 examination because her family was unable to pay the fees. The school also allegedly expelled the student and demanded Rs 30,000 in pending dues before issuing her School Leaving Certificate (SLC). Officials of the Kaithal Education Department informed the committee that the student has since been admitted to another school.

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Taking serious note of the incident, Rana directed the Education Department to initiate the process for cancellation of the school's recognition and send a recommendation to the higher authorities for immediate action. The agriculture and farmers' welfare minister said that denying education to a girl child was unacceptable and contrary to the spirit of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign.

Rana said the government was committed to ensuring that no child, especially a girl, is deprived of education due to financial difficulties. He also directed departmental officers to ensure the timely disposal of public grievances and the effective implementation of welfare schemes.