By Ayanabha Banerjee
Chennai – Recently, a legal case has been lodged against the head of a government school in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. The allegations state that the principal compelled an eight-year-old Dalit student to retrieve a stone from the toilet. Unfortunately, such cases of discrimination are not isolated. Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front came out with research that highlights a troubling reality of caste discrimination in schools across Tamil Nadu.
According to the report, approximately 30% of the schools included in the study exhibited different forms of bias against Dalit students. This discrimination manifested in various ways, such as assigning Dalit students the undesirable task of cleaning toilets and even segregating them by caste in queues during lunchtime.
The study also uncovered significant disparities in the participation of Dalit students in various school activities. Dalit students were found to have unequal opportunities for playtime, lab sessions, and involvement in art festivals. These discrepancies not only affected their academic experiences but also contributed to an environment where opportunities for personal growth and expression were unfairly distributed.
Disturbingly, caste clashes among students were reported in 25 schools across districts like Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai, Tenkasi, and Dindigul. This suggests the existence of tension and conflicts based on caste lines within the student community.
This story was originally published in themooknayak.com. Read the full story here .