The Kerala government issued a clarification after the state’s education minister told the Legislative Assembly that 1.25 lakh school students had opted against disclosing their caste and religion at the time of their admission, On Manorama reported on Friday. Kerala’s Director of Public Instruction KV Mohan Kumar said Education Minister C Raveendranath’s statement on Wednesday was based on a technical error.
Several schools had raised doubts over the accuracy of the education minister’s statement that indicated that the state was moving towards a casteless identity.
Kumar claimed that the education department had made the statement based on statistics from data uploaded by state schools. “It is not mandatory to fill the columns seeking information regarding caste and religion in the software,” Kumar said. “Headmasters usually delegate somebody to upload the data collected from students. Many school authorities skip uploading information that is not mandatory.”
The Director of Public Instruction speculated that schools may have erred while submitting the data via the Sampoorna software but ruled out action against them, The New Indian Express reported. The categories of specifying religion and caste were not mandatory, Kumar reiterated.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!