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No
BC, no school Jezima Nalim,
Executive Director of Inspiration Child Rights Organisation, which
is campaigning for birth certificates for under-privileged children
said they were calling on the government to address the issue on
a priority basis. Since 1997,
the efforts of this group have resulted in more than 3000 children
obtaining a Most Probable Age Certificate (MPAC) - a document issued
by the Ministry of Public Administration in terms of the Public
Administration Act. The document enables a child to gain admission
to a school, sit for government exams and get a national identity
card and a passport. An MPAC is given after the child age is determined
by a process where a government doctor examines the child's teeth
and the bone structure. Ms. Nalim's first project in 1995 ensured 50 street children their MPACs in that year. An Education Ministry official said a Birth Certificate is compulsory to gain admission to any school in the country. However he said that the ministry had been running a campaign for the past five years to admit children without BCs to rural and small schools. This programme is carried out to mark the World Children's Day. Chaos
and confusion over Grade 1 admission School authorities
defending the protest committee mechanism said that this system
was essential to make the appeals process meaningful. "If a
child is to be selected through the appeal process, a child who
has been selected has to be removed. Besides, this process ensures
that only genuine cases are selected," D. S. Senanayake principal
Asoka Senani Hewage said. Protests committees
comprises school authorities, unlike the Appeals Board which included
Education Ministry officials. With protests committees in operation, little or nothing is done about the appeals. Nalanda Vidyalaya
Deputy Principal K. R. Perera said they would be filing the appeals
but no action would be taken. The school received 1,200 applications
for 175 places. Education Minister
Karunasena Kodituwakku told The Sunday Times the protest committee
system had been introduced to minimise injustices and to avoid political
interference in school admission. Mr Kodituwakku
said this system was more transparent as the school authorities
are required to be displayed even the waiting period on school notice
boards. "When
an irregulairty is detected in the application of a selected child,
he or she will be rejected and the first name on the waiting list
will automatically be taken to the vacancy created." Meanwhile,
principals of schools come under the purview of Provincial Council
are still in a dilemma regarding how to handle the appeals which
are pouring in. The Education Ministry has instructed them to dissolve
Appeals Boards, but Provincial Education Ministries have advised
them to continue with the system. Under the appeals
board system, the provincial ministry could name five students for
admission to each class. St Josephs
Balika Maha Vidyalaya Vice Principal M. Guneratne said more than
hundred appeals had been received so far after they selected 120
students from 423 applications. The school comes under the provincial
council purview. Ninety students
have already been selected while 15 will be selected on appeals
and 15 places given to children of armed forces personnel, she said
explaining the school's admission policy. Meanwhile some schools have yet been unable to release their admission lists due to the contradictory instructions issued by the two bodies governing school education. Confirming that
there had been a delay in the selection procedure, the principal
of Yasodara Balika Maha Vidyalaya said they had difficulties regarding
selection. The school is yet to release its admission list, while 890 applications have been received for the 120 places. |
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