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School gives no entry to Dalit kids
Published on Thu, May 10, 2007 at 07:44, Updated on Thu, May 10, 2007 at 08:20 in 
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STUDIED DIFFERENCE: The children don't know that they are up against a deep-rooted mindset.
Panipat: They aren't old enough to read about discrimination, but unfortunately they're old enough to face it.
Rita, Indu and Neera live in Garhsarmai, a predominantly Dalit village near Panipat. But they don't study there. Instead they go to an expensive private school in Noorwala, which is five kilometres away.
Their parents had to borrow money for their admissions all because the local government school which refused to admit the six year olds in the school.
“We were asked to go. He said we do not take chamar's,” says Indu’s father, Satbir Singh.
The three girls even took lessons from one of the teachers in their village, and did extremely well in their lower grades. But they were still denied admission. Villagers say upper caste teachers at the government school aren't interested in teaching Dalit children.
“They beat up the children, don't teach, and play cards and take money instead,” says a villager, Ram Kishan.
Parents of the girls have complained to the state education department and the police. But no action has been taken yet. But the school headmaster denies the discrimination and says there is no issue.
“We have 429 children and most of them are Dalits. We do not refuse admissions,” says Jai Ram Sharma.
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