After receiving a grant of Rs 10 lakh from the government, Mandal Parishad Primary School at Brahmapuri in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh accordingly made the renovations required which included upgrading drinking water facilities and separate toilets for both boys and girls. It opened to students, which were 52 in number until last year. Out of 52, 26 parents, who reside in Molapalem village of Gangavaram Mandal which is just a kilometer away, claimed that when their children went to the school, they were sent back. The point to note is that these students who were turned away hail from Scheduled Castes (SC), Backward Classes (BC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Concerned authorities are now making inquires into this incident to find out if these students were turned away from the government school on the basis of their caste.
"They are saying when there is a school in Molapalem, why do we want to take admission in their school (at Brahmapuri). They are doing this because we belong to other castes, while forward caste students go to that school," claimed a parent named K Ishwar, as a report in The Indian Express.
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S Abraham, District Education Officer (DEO), blamed it all on misinformation being spread by local politicians to provoke people of one village against another and ruled out the possibility of caste discrimination. He also went on to state that the government school situated in Molapalem shut down in the year 2016 owing to the fact that it had fewer than ten students hence, it was merged with the Brahmapuri school. But when the student numbers in Molapalem shot up by 26, the people of Molapalem were demanding that the school should reopen again.
Accordingly, this year, the Molapalem school threw open its gates leaving the students from the villages two choices — to study at the school in Molapalem or Brahmapuri. But it was the choice of Molapalem students that they chose to go to the school situated in their village itself. “If they wish they can go to the school at Brahmapuri,” informed the DEO.
It is K Nagaraj, Mandal Education Officer, who is conducting the inquiry. He stated that the 26 students who were sent back to the Molpalem school were sent back not on a caste basis, but as per their area, as they come from Molpalem. “The remaining 26 students hail from Brahmapuri and belong to two forward castes. That is why the accusations of caste-based discrimination. This is completely false,” Nagaraj pointed out.
On January 5, the Mandal Education Officer conducted a meeting with the Molapalem parents. Following the orders of C Hari Kiran, District Collector, he sought a letter from them which would specify exactly which school would they prefer for their children. The villagers refused to submit a letter of this sought and stood their ground that there was caste discrimination at play. Their demand was that all students should be transferred to the Molapalem school and the Brahmapuri school to be closed. The Sarpanch, who had allegedly gone into hiding, was also asked by the villagers to be present.
