‘Don’t seek transfer certificates at time of admission’

Balwant Garg

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Tribune News Service

Faridkot, April 3

The Education Department has asked all schools in the state not to stick to the condition of getting the school leaving certificates from students before giving admission to them. 

This direction is aimed at stopping the “exploitation” of the students by some private schools in the name of issuing them the school leaving certificate.

After getting complaints that many private schools are not issuing school leaving certificate to the students, who want to shift to government schools, or they are being exploited for these certificates, the Education Department has taken the decision.

Any student will be admitted to a government school even without the school leaving certificate, said Krishan Kumar, Secretary, Education Department.

He said every child had the right to study in a school of his or her choice and it could not withhold the school leaving certificate. The Secretary said the school must provide the certificate to the child.

Taking a note of complaints that schools refuse to give school leaving certificate to children, the Secretary has asked officials at the district level to admit students without asking for the school leaving certificate.

It is alleged that schools refuse to give or make inordinate delay in giving the school transfer or leaving certificate simply to maintain the number of students in their school. 

Some schools even force such students to pay funds to the school before leaving it.

“No school can bound the student through a bond or asking him or her to pay money if he or she wants to study in a different school. Government schools can procure school leaving certificates from the private schools after admitting the students,” said the Secretary.

“A student has an absolute right to stop his/her studies in any educational institution at any time and get a transfer certificate concurrently. The school authorities have no powers to deny a request for a transfer certificate when it is applied for. As per the Right to Education Act, no child should discontinue education because of the delay in issuing a school leaving or transfer certificate,” said officials in the Education Department.

Under Section 5 (3) of the Right to Education Act, the transfer certificate is to be issued by head teacher immediately. The head teacher will be liable for disciplinary action if the transfer certificate is not issued.

“I am trying to get the transfer certificate from the school. School officials are asking for so much money from us. There are quite a lot of parents, who are facing the same problem,” said Ranjit Singh, father of a student in Kotkapura.

He said, “I have had a couple of discussions with the school principal on the Right to Education Act.”