Nerul school principal, parents, play blame game

While DPS principal claims he has been back-stabbed by parents of 15 Class XI children who he tried to help by issuing transfer certificates so they could find admission in HSC board schools, parents allege their wards were failed because the school wants to ensure a 100 per cent result next year

It's a classic case of a tacit understanding gone wrong. Fifteen students of Nerul's Delhi Public School (DPS), who were issued a transfer certificate and asked to leave the school after they allegedly failed their Class 11 exams thrice, have now received the support of the Deputy Director of School Education, Sunil Chauhan. Chauhan has requested DPS principal PC Chhabra to re-admit the children based on their parents' claims that the school is failing kids who have cleared exams.

Chhabra, however, claims that the parents are fooling the education department and the students' case will be handled on its own merit, as per the norms of CBSE board, if they apply for readmission. He in turn claims that, based on the parents' request, he conducted re exams for the said children after they failed the first time. When they failed the re exam, he reached an understanding with the parents that the school would issue them transfer certificates so that they could find admission in an HSC board school.

Parents, however, put the blame right back on the school, saying the school ousted slow performers to ensure a 100 per cent result in the Class 12 board exams, as many schools want to do. Parent Suresh Shah (name changed), said, "The school alleged that our kids failed and forced us to take away the students by giving us transfer certificates. Now the deputy director has ordered the principal to readmit our kids. If the principal does not do so, we will approach the court." Another parent, Satish Dubey, (name changed), agrees. "Our children have passed. Issuing a transfer certificate like this is illegal."

Jayant Jain, President, Forum for Fairness in Education, said, "The students were forcibly issued transfer certificates. We will approach the court if the students are not readmitted." Chhabra, however, flatly denies all such claims. "As per CBSE norms, a student who fails in more then one subject has to repeat the class. These 15 students have failed in more than one subject despite me letting them retake the exam not once, but thrice.
Now they are trying to fool the education department, claiming I forced them to leave the school. I cannot say whether the child will have to repeat a class or not, but now I will handle all cases individually based on merit, and as per the norms of the CBSE board."

Chauhan says, "I have asked the principal to look into the matter and readmit the students based on the parents' complaint. I will individually conduct an enquiry on the issue to figure the facts."