Follow reservation criteria in school admissions: SC forum

Coimbatore: Representatives of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe forums have written to the chief minister and the director of the national commission for scheduled castes seeking action against the district adi dravidar welfare department for not forming a committee to monitor whether reservation rules are followed properly in Class XI admissions.
In their petition, representatives of the Arundhathiyar Munnetra Kazhagam from the city said that in the last seven years, the officials of the department used to get the permission of the collector to convene a meeting with the officials of the school education department in February or March to discuss reservations in Class XI admissions. “Following this, the department would submit the last year’s admission records and give a list of schools, which should be inspected. A committee comprising adi dravidar and school education department officials would be formed. Through the chief education office, all schools would be instructed to follow reservation guidelines strictly and would be told if they fail, they would face action. These proceedings would be published in newspapers,” founder president of the forum Kovai Maniarasu said in the petition.
“But, this year, though several SC/ST welfare associations and members of the Adi Dravidar welfare committee had sought the adi dravidar welfare officer and had also petitioned the district collector, none of the above-mentioned procedures were followed,” the petition said. “Because of this, SC and ST students. who have passed Class X, are not being given admission in schools,” said the petition. “The CM and the director of the national commission for scheduled castes should take appropriate steps to help the students”TNN