Carmel princi not a sport
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, January 28, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=200901282009012803380135938d474a0)
While most schools would encourage and take pride in their students taking part in a national sports event, one city school has taken a very different approach and asked its student to repeat the year for missing a mid-term exam for sports.
Upasana Thakore, 13, a class VII student of Mount Carmel School, Navrangpura, has been dismissed from school for skipping her second mid-term exam to take part in the girls’ under-14 national basketball event.
The girl’s parents are crying foul claiming they had got the requisite leave approved from the school in time, and that the school was aware of the girl’s participation in the nationals since long. Upasana’s mother Nirmala Thakore said, “If the school intended to make her repeat the year if she attended the sports meet, it should have told us then and not sanctioned the leave. We would not have sent our child for the nationals in that case.” Upasana had secured 75 per cent aggregate in the first test.
Nirmala has appealed to the District Education Officer (DEO) to intervene in the matter and save the girl’s academic year. Harsha Mevada, Education Inspector in the DEO, said, “We will talk to the schools authorities and the girl’s parents on Wednesday and inquire into the matter thoroughly.” Nirmala also filed a complaint of “mental harassment” against the school at the Navrangpura police station.
The school maintained it put education above everything else, including sports, for its students. A note signed by Mount Carmel High School principal Sister Prescilla Lobo, dated January 27, a copy of which is with AM, said, “The school has no provision for re-exam for any child. If a child misses exams — she misses it.”
The note added that “the school has noticed that parents have been increasingly taking their children out on trips abroad, parties, weddings and all such activities...taking away the focus of children from study to entertainment...School helps in the all-round development of children.”
Right, but aren’t sports in schools all about all-round development ? While the importance and necessity of trips abroad, parties and weddings can be discussed on another occasion, most people thought sports develop a child’s physical and mental strength.
WHAT THE RULES SAY
The rules too recommend condoning a student for missing an exam to take part in an important state or national event. According to section 17 (10) of Gujarat Secondary Education Act of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Board, “A student missing one paper or an entire examination to attend a state or national event with the school’s permission should be promoted to the next class.” Education department sources said rules on examination and promotion are common for secondary and primary schools. Sources said the exam rule was modified after India cricketer Parthiv Patel couldn’t take his class XII board exam while on national duty.
STUDENT HAD SPORTS AUTHORITY OF GUJARAT SANCTION
Upasana was selected by the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG)to represent the state in the girls’ under-14 basketball event at the National School Games 2008-09. The SAG first asked the girl to attend the pre-national camp at Devgadh Baria between December 19, 2008 and January 2, 2009. She attended the camp and got selected for the national games scheduled between January 5 and 10 at Satara in Maharashtra. She subsequently left for Satara along with other state school children who had been selected for the nationals.
In the meantime, the girl’s mother, Nirmala Thakore, submitted an application addressed to the class teacher seeking leave for her daughter to attend the national school sports event. The leave was approved, with the teacher duly putting down her signature. However, when Nirmala went to meet the school principal to intimate her of her daughter’s leave, she allegedly behaved curtly and asked her to leave her cabin.
While Upasana was away between January 5 and 12, the school conducted its second mid-term exams. She had missed all but one paper by the time she returned on January 12 and wrote the last paper. But at the end of the exams, she was told that attending the exam was absolutely necessary for promotion to the next class. She would not be given any grace marks and would have to repeat the year.
Nirmala said, “The school principal and a teacher told Upasana after the R-Day celebration in the school on Monday that she had broken discipline by going to the media with her story. Hence, she was dismissed from school.” Upasana returned home crying and told her mother of what the principal told her. Nirmala had talked to a local TV channel over the issue on Saturday.
Talking to AM, Nirmala said that the school did this to her despite the fact that the Sports Authority of Gujarat had addressed Upasana’s national event call letter to Mt Carmel School, which it had itself forwarded to the student’s residence in the last week of November 2008. Hence, it knew all along that Upasana was taking part in the national school games.Nirmala has also approached Sports Authority of Gujarat and the state Primary Education Department for help.
OTHER SCHOOLS SAY THERE’S SCOPE FOR LENIENCY
Most school principals AM talked to also found the action against Upasana too harsh. Fr Fernand Durai of St Xavier’s Loyola High School said, “A student playing nationals should not be made to repeat a year if she/he has taken two of the three internal exams of the school.”
M K Secondary and Higher Secondary School principal Dhiraj Jogani said, “State board allows some concession to students excelling in sports. The rules are the same for primary and secondary schools.”
