Carmel girl's punishment questionable, says EDU Dept.
District Education Officer says Mount Carmel cannot suspend class VII student Upasana Thakore only because she spoke about her problems to the media
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 03:04:44 AM (Ahmedabad Mirror cover story : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2009012920090129030444734fedbbd63)
The District Education Officer, Ahmedabad city, on Wednesday said that a student airing her grievances against her school on a TV channel is not sufficient reason to suspend her.
DEO P B Gadhvi was responding to the issue of Mount Carmel High School suspending its class VII student Upasana Thakore, 13, for allegedly going to the media with her grievances against the school. The Thakore family contended that they talked to the TV channel after it approached them following the school’s threat to declare Upasana fail and suspend her for skipping her mid-term exam to represent the state in the girls’ under-14 national basketball event between January 5 and 12. The Thakores received Upasana’s suspension letter from the school on Wednesday.
Responding to AM query whether a school can suspend a student in the first place, the DEO said a student can be suspended but the reasons for the action have to valid. Asked specifically about Mount Carmel school suspending Upasana Thakore, he said he still had to see what provoked the school to take the action, but going to the media with her story does not make her liable to be suspended.Gadhvi said, “I could not look into the matter today as I was busy in a DEOs’ meeting all day.
I will go into the details of this matter tomorrow.”Earlier in the day, officials of the DEO met Mount Carmel school authorities to inquire into the circumstances which led to the suspension of Upasana Thakore as alleged by her parents. Education Inspector Hansa Mevada sought from the school all documents related to the matter as also the school’s stand over the issue. The education officials were at the school from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. Upasana’s mother, Nirmala Thakore, had sent a written complaint to the DEO on January 17 against the school’s threat of declaring her fail for missing an exam. Following this, the DEO deputed Education Inspector Hansa Mevada to inquire into the matter.
Upasana was selected by the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) for the girls’ under-14 basketball event at the National School Games. She first attended a pre-national camp at Devgadh Baria between December 19, 2008 and January 2, 2009 and then participated in the nationals between January 5 and 10 at Satara in Maharashtra. The girl’s mother, Nirmala Thakore, claimed that she had submitted an application addressed to the class teacher seeking leave for her daughter to attend the sports event, which was approved. Upasana has strong caseLegal eagle and GLS Group’s executive VP Sudhir Nanavati says Mt Carmel will have a tough time in court if Upasana takes legal recourse
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 03:04:44 AM (Ahmedabad Mirror cover story : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2009012920090129030444734fedbbd63)
The District Education Officer, Ahmedabad city, on Wednesday said that a student airing her grievances against her school on a TV channel is not sufficient reason to suspend her.
DEO P B Gadhvi was responding to the issue of Mount Carmel High School suspending its class VII student Upasana Thakore, 13, for allegedly going to the media with her grievances against the school. The Thakore family contended that they talked to the TV channel after it approached them following the school’s threat to declare Upasana fail and suspend her for skipping her mid-term exam to represent the state in the girls’ under-14 national basketball event between January 5 and 12. The Thakores received Upasana’s suspension letter from the school on Wednesday.
Responding to AM query whether a school can suspend a student in the first place, the DEO said a student can be suspended but the reasons for the action have to valid. Asked specifically about Mount Carmel school suspending Upasana Thakore, he said he still had to see what provoked the school to take the action, but going to the media with her story does not make her liable to be suspended.Gadhvi said, “I could not look into the matter today as I was busy in a DEOs’ meeting all day.
I will go into the details of this matter tomorrow.”Earlier in the day, officials of the DEO met Mount Carmel school authorities to inquire into the circumstances which led to the suspension of Upasana Thakore as alleged by her parents. Education Inspector Hansa Mevada sought from the school all documents related to the matter as also the school’s stand over the issue. The education officials were at the school from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. Upasana’s mother, Nirmala Thakore, had sent a written complaint to the DEO on January 17 against the school’s threat of declaring her fail for missing an exam. Following this, the DEO deputed Education Inspector Hansa Mevada to inquire into the matter.
Upasana was selected by the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) for the girls’ under-14 basketball event at the National School Games. She first attended a pre-national camp at Devgadh Baria between December 19, 2008 and January 2, 2009 and then participated in the nationals between January 5 and 10 at Satara in Maharashtra. The girl’s mother, Nirmala Thakore, claimed that she had submitted an application addressed to the class teacher seeking leave for her daughter to attend the sports event, which was approved. Upasana has strong caseLegal eagle and GLS Group’s executive VP Sudhir Nanavati says Mt Carmel will have a tough time in court if Upasana takes legal recourse
