MADURAI
Two students of Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School (GADWHSS) in Nachikulam in Madurai district have allegedly been denied permission to appear for the Plus Two examinations.
While the school has been accused of preventing them as it felt that they could not clear the examinations and consequently bring down its pass percentage, the school authorities have blamed the students for being irregular.
The students, who included a girl, were Group I students. The boy’s father, a daily wager from Bommanpatti village, died after an accident a few months ago. “I skipped school for several days at that time. However, I wrote quarterly and half yearly examinations,” the boy said.
According to his maternal uncle V. Prabhakaran, who accompanied the boy to the school two weeks before the practical examinations, the Headmaster told them that the boy could not appear for the tests since he was likely to fail. “I pleaded with him for three days since he is the eldest child and the only support for his mother. The Headmaster, however, was unrelenting,” he said.
The girl missed two of the three practical examinations due to an untoward incident in the family. When she and her father approached the school before the third practical examination, the Headmaster told them that she could not write other examinations.
“I visited the school thrice pleading him to allow my child to take up other examinations. On the third day, the Headmaster told me that he would call police if I visited the school again,” said the girl’s father, an agricultural labourer from Keezhamathur.
Four other Plus Two students of the school also failed to appear for Tamil Paper I and II examinations held on Thursday and Friday for some reason.
An official on examination duty at A.S. Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Sholavandan, the exam centre for Nachikulam GADWHSS students, said hall tickets for all six students were available at the centre.
As per procedure, the school must send all hall tickets to the centre. “Initially, Nachikulam GADWHSS did not send the hall tickets of these six students and instead gave a letter stating that they would not appear for exams. They sent the hall tickets only after we insisted,” he said.
“Technically, the students can write the examinations since hall tickets have been sent to the centre. However, at least these two students have been misled by the school on this issue,” he said.
Denying all allegations, V. Murugapandian, Headmaster, ADWHSS, Nachikulam, said both the students missed practicals. “I just told them that I could not re-conduct the practicals. I did not deny them permission for theory papers,” he said. He also denied delay in sending hall tickets to the exam centre.
Promising an inquire into the issue, N. Marimuthu, Chief Educational Officer, Madurai, said, “Since their hall tickets are available at the centre, we will take steps to ensure that they sit for the remaining exams.”
