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This is an archive article published on July 17, 2014
Goa school won’t expel 23 orphans, parents withdraw 18 students
The parents accused the school management of instilling fear in the minds of the students.
Not satisfied with the expulsion of the 13 HIV-positive orphans from a school in Rivona village in south Goa last week, parents of other students on Wednesday withdrew their 18 children from the school. The parents have been pressuring the school to expel 23 other orphans, who are not HIV-positive but they live in the same children’s home — Nitya Seva Niketan — where the 13 HIV-positive orphans stay.
The parents of the 18 students said they have lost faith in Our Lady of Fatima High School authorities over the admission of 23 orphans who are living with the 13 HIV-positive students. The parents demanded that the school either expel the 23 students or give them in writing that the students would not be infected by HIV in future.
The Goa State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, however, has instructed the school not to give any such undertaking in writing to the parents.
The parents, meanwhile, accused the school management of “instilling fear in the minds of the students” and that they were never taken into confidence before giving admissions to the 36 students from the children’s home.
“The documentary screened by the school management with help of Goa State Aids Control Society (GSAC) created fear in the minds of the students… Our children our now traumatised due to all this, and hence do not want to go to this school. That is why we have to cancel their admission,” said Cherryl Lopez, a representative of the parents who withdrew admission of their wards.
Father Lino Florindo, manager of Our Lady of Fatima High School, however, said the school management did whatever they could to sensitise the parents and students about HIV and AIDS. “If they found an awareness initiative by the GSACS insensitive, then what can we say further,” said Florindo.
“As far as the the 23 students from the children’s home are concerned, they are attending school regularly,” he added.
Assistant Director of Education of Sanguem district, Dinkar Rane, said it was the personal decision of the parents to withdraw their children and that they cannot interfere.
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“However, they (parents) will have to seek approval from the Director of Education to change the school as the academic year has already begun,” said Rane.
Meanwhile, local MLA Subhash Phal Dessai said he disapproved the parents’ act. “Even when there are no HIV positive students in the school, these parents took the step of cancelling the admissions of their wards. They have openly displayed an act of discrimination. Whichever school they approach must take an undertaking from these parents before granting admission that they will not oppose admission of disadvantaged students in the school even if they are HIV-positive students,” he said.
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