Don't expel non-performing students from schools: Madras HC

Madurai: The Madurai Bench of Madras high court on Monday directed the principal secretary,  school education, not to deprive non-performing students from availing themselves of education from government schools in the state.
Dismissing a writ appeal seeking compensation for a student who was expelled from Class X by the headmaster of Government higher secondary school, Ammapatti in Virudhunagar after the half-yearly examination on Janurary 20, 2015, with an intention to get centum result, a Division Bench comprising Justices N. Rammohana Rao and S. S. Sundar directed the state government to help non-performing students to excel in education by adopting various teaching methodologies.  

Advocate R. Alagumani argued that with an intention to secure centum results in the Class X board exam, the school headmaster issued transfer certificates to eight students, including two girls, because they didn’t perform well in the half- yearly examination.

The petitioner’s son Kannan from P. Paraipatti village was unable to obtain good marks in exam because he was taking treatment for Haemophilia (a hereditary genetic disorder that impairs body’s ability to control clotting of blood). Without understanding his health condition, the headmaster expelled him.

Seven other students — Muneeswaran, Siva, Kalliselvam, M.Muneeswaran, Kallaiselvam, Vinotha and Jeyanthi - were issued transfer certificates without any prior intimation. Most of these students were first generation students and their parents struggled to help their children in education so that they could obtain a better position in society, said Alagumani.

As ADGP Radhakrishnan also belonged to the appellant’s village, the headmaster threatened the students not to tell him because he had donated land to build the school. The students did not attend classes for about one month, he said.

While six boy students were admitted again after the parents took up the issue with Chief educational officer, Virudhunagar, the girl’s parents stopped education of their children after they attained puberty, he said.