Catholic groups regret Ruchikas expulsion

While the Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese may be backing Sacred Heart School amidst controversy over the alleged expulsion of Ruchika Girhotra...

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While the Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese may be backing Sacred Heart School amidst controversy over the alleged expulsion of Ruchika Girhotra over non-payment of fee,key Catholic organisations in the country do not share the same view.

The Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese under which Sacred Heart schools falls has strongly defended the school,saying it acted as per rules and did not expel but just struck her name off the rolls due to delay in fee payment. The All India Association of Catholic Schools AINACS as well as the Catholic Bishops Conference of India CBCI,however,said fee is not as central to imparting education in a Catholic school.

Expressing regret over the incident,the AINACS president Father George Paul told The Indian Express that the very idea of expulsion of a student on account of non-payment of fee was against the very tenets of education imparted by Catholic schools.

Non-payment of fee as a reason for rustication of a students is itself very derogatory for a Catholic school. Our approach to education is not based on fee. We have expressed our regret about it, Father George Paul,president of All India Association of Catholic Schools,told The Indian Express.

We also did interact with the school administration on the issue in the capacity of the association,expressing our regret over it. Their explanation is that the entire school management has changed over the years so there is no documentation on the circumstances that led to this situation, he said. While the association has no right to look into any institutes administrative matter,we have certainly expressed regret over this issue. However,the matter is under an inquiry and will be looked into by authorities.

Father Paul also pointed out that there was a Standing Advisory of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India CBCI,saying that under no circumstances should a student be allowed to leave school on the basis of non-payment of fee.

Sources in the CBCI said it has not formally got in touch with authorities of the Sacred Heart School so far and has left it to the Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese to deal with the situation.

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Father Kuriala Chittattukalam,who looks after education in the CBCI hierarchy,said if a student defaults payment of fees for some months,the school authorities generally would get in touch with the childs parents but we dont generally expel students for not payment of fees.

In fact,the All India Catholic Education Policy brought out by the CBCI in 2007 states that the Catholic Church deplores all attempts to commercialise education. It further states that frequent harassment of students and parents for additional money collection is what we avoid in our schools.

Bishop Mascaranes of the Chandigarh-Shimla Diocese said he would not comment as an inquiry was on.