MMI alleges schools target low-performing students with forced transfers; seeks white paper
The Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam (MMI) has alleged that several schools in Coimbatore forcibly expel students predicted to underperform after 9th and 11th grades.
The organisation has called on the Tamil Nadu School Education Department to publish a white paper on this issue, identify the affected students, and ensure their immediate re-admission.
MMI president V. Eswaran claimed that some schools issue transfer certificates to students unlikely to pass, to maintain 100% pass rates in 10th and 12th board exams. He added that schools sometimes force these students to appear as private candidates, excluding their results from official statistics.
'Despite repeated Right to Information (RTI) requests since 2020, data was received from only 25 out of 518 schools. This data revealed numerous cases where students were expelled and not enrolled in the following academic year. This represents a mere 5% compliance, with 95% of schools failing to provide transparency on the matter.' he said.
The MMI alleged the practice spans government, aided, and private schools, affecting thousands of students' education rights. Mr. Eswaran called the practice inhumane and demanded urgent government action. He warned that schools violating these principles should face strict penalties, including recognition revocation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
TN launches daily practice sessions for Class 10, Class 12 students in low performing schools
To improve pass percentages in Class 10 and 12 public examinations, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department has rolled out a new initiative to provide daily practice questions to students in government schools across Chennai. As part of the plan, students will be given one-mark and two-mark questions every day to help reinforce subject knowledge and develop exam readiness. Senior education department officials said a panel of top educators will prepare the questions, which will be distributed to schools for daily sessions. 'Headmasters and assistant headmasters have been tasked with ensuring that students engage with these practice questions regularly. The goal is to develop consistent study habits and improve familiarity with the syllabus,' said a senior official from the department. To complement this effort, monthly assessments will be conducted to identify 'slow learners'. Those students will then receive focused remedial training to help close learning gaps. In addition, the department will pay special attention to schools that recorded lower pass percentages in the most recent board exams. 'A block-wise analysis will be carried out to identify underperforming schools,' said Pugalendhi, a senior official involved in the initiative. 'Headmasters and assistant headmasters of such schools will receive counselling and guidance on how to improve student outcomes. These measures will be implemented with urgency over the next two to four months,' he said. The intervention follows disappointing performances by Chennai's government schools in this year's board results. The city ranked 37th in the SSLC (Class 10) examinations with a pass percentage of 82.84, and 35th in the Higher Secondary (Class XII) results with 87.86. However, the initiative has drawn criticism from educationists who warn against a purely marks-driven strategy. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of the State Platform for Common School System, said the approach mimics the private school model without addressing deeper educational needs. 'Prioritising marks over meaningful learning sends the wrong message,' he said. 'Students should be encouraged to understand the purpose of education. Once that is achieved, improved results will naturally follow. The focus should first be on strengthening infrastructure and ensuring government schools offer facilities on par with private institutions,' he said. Despite the criticism, the government plans to aggressively pursue the strategy in the coming months to bridge academic gaps and raise overall learning standards in state-run schools.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
RTI data: One GRP cop for every 2,000 local train commuters
MUMBAI: Just one Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel is available for every 2,000 daily suburban train commuters in Mumbai — a statistic that raises serious concerns about passenger safety. The data, obtained via a Right to Information (RTI) query by the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, reveals that the GRP is operating with over 750 vacant posts, severely compromising its ability to maintain law and order on the suburban railway network. Each day, more than 6.8 million passengers travel on the city's local trains. However, the GRP, mandated to investigate all crimes occurring within railway premises, is grappling with a 25% shortfall in officer posts and a 16% shortage in police personnel, according to the RTI data. 'We've repeatedly sought additional manpower and urged the authorities to fill the vacancies. Currently, even night patrols are being managed by home guards as our resources are maxed out,' said a senior GRP officer. Vacancies persist, crimes rise Although 255 officer posts have been sanctioned, 65 remain vacant, including 8 police inspectors, 17 assistant police inspectors, and 40 sub-inspectors. Only 190 officers are currently on duty — 173 men and just 17 women. In the case of police personnel, 4,185 posts have been approved across the Central and Western railway zones. But 693 posts are lying vacant, mostly in the lower ranks — assistant sub-inspectors, constables, and drivers. The understaffing has a direct impact on crime prevention. Stations like Nalasopara, Kalyan, Thane, Kurla, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) routinely witness harassment and molestation incidents during rush hours. But the lack of personnel prevents timely intervention or deterrence. 'Passenger safety not a priority' Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said the GRP's inability to fill these posts for over a decade shows a lack of commitment to commuter safety. 'GRP is simply not serious about securing passengers. Ridership increases each year, but the force hasn't kept pace. This puts millions at risk every day,' Kotian said. The GRP has two main divisions- Central Zone (CSMT and Kalyan) with 15 police stations and Western Zone (Bandra to Vasai) with 23 stations. Together, they are supported by 37 non-executive branches including control room, women's cell, riot control team, court cell, commando unit, and technical branches — all facing manpower shortages.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Govt notifies new Jammu Railway Division
The new Railway Division, headquartered at Jammu Tawi and operating under the Northern Railway, has come into effect from June 1. It is the 70th division of Indian Railways. The new division will oversee a substantial area, primarily comprising sections transferred from the Firozpur Division, which is as old as the Indian Railways. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Jammu Railway Division on January 6, 2025. According to the gazette notification published May 29, key sections now under the new division include Pathankot–Jammu– Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan –Srinagar–Baramulla (423 km), Bhogpur Sirwal–Pathankot (87 km), Batala–Pathankot (68 km) and Pathankot–Joginder Nagar narrow gauge section (164 km). Jammu Division's first DRM Vivek Kumar said the formation of the division is important not only for connectivity with Kashmir, but also for defence purposes as the area is strategically cordoned. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
