Mumbai: SoBo school reinstates expelled RTE students

Less that two weeks after mid-day’s report, the management of Bombay International School in Babulnath has readmitted two girls, whose admission it had revoked citing a government GR

Less than two weeks after mid-day highlighted the plight of two pre-primary students, who were expelled from the Bombay International School, in Babulnath, the school management has reinstated both girls. The girls had sought admission at the unaided school under the freeship quota of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and had attended school in April.

Sunday mid-day report on May 3 highlighting the plight of the girls

The school administration had then cancelled their admissions based on the government resolution (GR) issued by the state in mid-April, which mentioned that unaided schools could cancel all the pre-primary admissions and only Class I admissions had to be maintained. On May 11, the Bombay High Court stayed the GR and asked the schools to maintain status quo pertaining to the pre-primary admissions. The order was passed on May 11 after the court heard a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by parents and activists, challenging the cancellation of admissions.

Principalspeak
“These admissions came to us through the government and we revoked them based on the GR it issued. Though we are yet to receive a copy of the HC order from the government officially, we readmitted the students on humanitarian grounds so that they can start attending classes once the school reopens in June and avoid losing a year,” said Mona Seervai, principal, Bombay International School.

mid-day report highlighting the same issue on May 13

Earlier this week, parents of the expelled girls visited the school with a copy of the HC order. However, they alleged that the management refused to entertain them.

“I thought my daughter would end up losing a year. But the school called us the next day, and accepted the HC’s order. I’m glad that my daughter can once again go to school, which she loves,” said Samarnath Kanojia, the parents of one of the girls. Kanojia, who works as a driver, said that this could be his daughter’s only opportunity to receive quality education because he cannot afford to pay the fees for a good school.

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