Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) has courted controversy for giving verbal direction to principals of Sanskrit schools not to enroll Muslim students under regular and private category for Madhyama examination equivalent to matriculation examination.
The matter came to light when Sanskrit schools under Kolhan division turned down applications of the minority students and in some cases school authority cancelled enrolment of such students.
However, only a handful of minority students had applied for enrolment; it has raised a serious concern. Congress’ MLA Dipika Pandey Singh expressed shock and termed it a worst case of discrimination as such steps not only goes against the principal of education as a universal right but is also creates communal disharmony.
Principals said that JAC coordinator Kaushal Mishra had instructed them not to enroll Muslim students as for Muslims there is Madarsa board. Another reason for exclusion for Muslims was suggested that since Muslims don’t read the Vedas their admission can’t be taken hence it is not proper to take admission in Sanskrit school just to pass the examination.
In Jharkhand there are five Sanskrit schools including two government run schools whereas the rest are government aided schools. In Jharkhand, for matriculation examination Sanskrit schools are permitted to enroll students who are not regular students. Such students can appear in the Madhyama examination as private students.
For candidates of Madhyama examination eight papers are recommended out of which three papers are related to Sanskrit language and literature that includes Vedic literature. Veena Kumari, principal of Chaibasa Government Sanskrit School said that before she got a verbal order from JAC she had enrolled 22 students.
“It was a verbal order. I had asked for the written order. I also sought direction from the district education office. But after that verbal order I had stopped applications from Muslim students. Since I had enrolled some Muslim students for I decided to submit their forms to district education department that forward applications to JAC. I don’t know whether their form was withheld, cancelled or forwarded by the district education department,” she said.
District education officer of Chaibasa Nirja Kujur did not respond to phone calls.
Two other principals of Sanskrit schools namely Ganesh Kumar of Adivasi Sanskrit Uccha Vidyalaya at Chakradharepur and Dushasan Mahto of Adivashi Sanskrit Uccha Vidyalaya at Budhiguttu in Saraikela-Kharsawan district said that they were instructed by Mishra over phone.