Thursday, 17 April 2014 – 9:00am IST | Agency: dna

In a huge relief for a standard VII student from Girton High School, Grant Road, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the school not to discontinue the education of the girl.

The school had barred the teenager from attending classes since November 2013 and insisted that she left school. The girl has been accused of saying that a school peon told her that a man was waiting at the school gate to pick her. Her parents have refuted the school's allegation.

The student, who took admission in June 2013, last attended school on November 11, 2013. Her parents said that on September 9, 2013, two of their daughter's classmates told her that a man had come to pick her from school. Fearing the girl's safety, the mother visited the school where authorities blamed her daughter for lying about the incident and other misbehaviour.

Despite the pressure on them to apply for a leaving certificate, the parents had refused to budge, fearing that their daughter will not be admitted to another school in the middle of an academic year. However, the girl was not allowed into the school in spite of letters from deputy director of education's office, said the girl's father.

On the basis of submissions made by the parents, the school and legal provisions, the child rights commission in its order, said that the school has no right to issue a leaving certificate to the girl. The commission observed, "Thus the action of school amount to violation of provision of Right to Education Act and school has no right to make the adverse remark on certificate of child."

The commission has also directed the school to resolve the matter with the help of counsellors, the parent teachers association and the school management committee.

Parents have welcomed the directives. "We are hoping that at least now our daughter can return to her school. She has been home for several months now and missed out on a lot of academics," said the girl's father.

School authorities could not be contacted for comment. Advocate Rahul Jain, who appeared for the school in one of the commission hearings, said he was no longer attached to the school.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-child-rights-panel-stops-grant-road-school-from-rusticating-girl-1979102