Srinagar school refuses to follow CJM’s order on admitting student

Presentation Convent Hr. Sec. School, Srinagar has refused to admit a student even after being directed to do so by a recent order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar. RAJA MUZAFFAR BHAT writes about the school's latest instance of non-compliance with law, after its refusal to provide information under the Right to Information Act earlier this year in spite of operating on government land.

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PRESENTATION Convent Senior Secondary School, a high profile Christian missionary school in Srinagar which had been directed by a Srinagar court to give admission to the sibling of one of its students, has refused to follow the court's order. The school authorities, according to the aggrieved father, denied admission last year in November to Zainab Riyaz in LKG class in spite of the fact that her sibling is a student at the same school.

The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar had lambasted the school management for denying the admission. The court, in its order dated October 11, 2021, had directed the school management to give provisional admission to Zainab in class UKG, but the school management is still not ready to abide by the order of the court.

 "I called the school authorities on Saturday morning, and asked them about the admission of my daughter. Instead of asking me to complete the admission formalities, I was told that school management will respond to the court order. They denied the admission", said Dr Riyaz Ahmad Daga, father of Zainab Riyaz, to The Leaflet.

The court, in its recent order, had said that criteria adopted by the school for the admission should be equitable, non-discriminatory and unambiguous, and the school is required to adopt those parameters which are in the best interests of children and are in proximity with their own philosophy.

"The content of the defendant is not tenable that the child who seeks admission for the session must reside in such a neighbourhood which has an access to the school and the social and economic conditions of the child are not so grim that she can't be equally considered for the admission" reads the order passed by CJM Srinagar Farooq Ahmad Bhat

The court said that schools must make a conscious effort to admit children with special needs, as the parents prefer that their children study in the same school.