MADURAI: A fervent appeal has been made to the Tamil Nadu State Government from Madurai today to take steps for stopping caste discrimination in schools in to take action against those teachers who are humiliating the school children in the name of caste, especially in government and government aided schools, where Dalit students-SC community children are being subjected to humiliation and discrimination because of caste feeling being shown by teachers, school management and some government officials.
“School children are committing suicides unable to bear the caste discrimination in classrooms. The shocking incident that happened in a government-aided school in Arivanayagapuram village in Kadaiyanallur taluk in Tenkasi district is an example to tell that our children are becoming affected due to caste discrimination and caste feeling being shown by teachers and staff in schools. The suicide of Seventh standard boy SEENU in October 2022 in that school who belongs to Arunthathiyar community is an alert for the Tamil Nadu State government to order for a complete probe and find out through a research study of how our kids/ school children/ SC children and all our Dalit fraternity are suffering in schools in southern districts of Tamil Nadu where caste discrimination and caste feeling is rampant,” Prof.R.Murali, national secretary of PUCL (PEOPLE’S UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES) has made an appeal to the Tamil Nadu Government and School Education Department, at a press meet in Madurai on November 17th 2022.
An appeal has been made from Madurai to the Tamil Nadu Government to hold an impartial police probe and do justice to the affected family which was subjected to humiliation in CASTE NAME in school classroom. “What happened in that school in Tenkasi district on 14th October 2022 is a dangerous trend faced by our children in schools due to caste feeling. What are the school HMs and teachers doing? The suicide of 7th standard student Seenu is an alert for our Tamil Nadu State government and hence we are making this appeal to stop caste discrimination in schools especially in rural areas/ villages of southern districts,” Prof.R.Murali of PUCL has made a plea to the government while speaking to journalists in Madurai on November 17th 2022.
Civil society representatives working for people’s rights and liberties including advocate Mr.A.John Vincent of PUCL, Mr.Muthukumar of ‘Tamil Puligal Katchi’, Mr.Manoharan, CPCL, Mr.Siddharthan, Mr.Sankar and Mr.Muthukumar, were among those who have voiced their concerns over the mental agony and torture that is happening in schools because of caste feelings, caste discrimination etc.
