Lekhraj said Damini was always interested in studies but could not attend classes regularly due to her fluctuating health
The name of a nine-year-old diabetic student was struck off the rolls at a North Delhi Municipal Corporation primary school in west Delhi’s Jawalapuri area after she failed to turn up for classes. Damini, a Class IV student, was diagnosed with diabetes in March this year.
“She fell sick with high fever. We took her to a private hospital, where she was diagnosed with diabetes. When her condition deteriorated, she was referred to AIIMS. Since then, she has been on an insulin drip,” said her father Lekhraj, 42, a rag-picker and a daily wage labourer, who lives in Nihal Vihar.
Speaking to DNA, Lekhraj said Damini was always interested in studies but could not attend classes regularly due to her fluctuating health. In fact, for the last two months, she was unable to attend any class. “We had been apprising the school authorities about Damini’s health status from the very beginning. We were also submitting her medical forms from time to time,” he said.
Finally on December 20, when Damini went back to join her classes, the school principal and her class teacher informed her mother that her name had been struck off the rolls.
“My wife was told that our daughter cannot attend classes anymore. She even pleaded before the principal and the class teacher but they did not give her permission,” Lekhraj said.
Senior lawyer and child rights activist Ashok Agrawal said: “This is sheer violation of a student’s Right to Education (RTE). We have submitted a written complaint to the corporation and asked them to take strict action against the school authorities.”
The corporation representatives, however, said they have not received any complaint in this regard, so far. “We will surely take strict action against the school authorities, if something like this actually happened. This is a violation of a child’s right to education,” said Devender Solanki of the civic body.
Meanwhile, the school principal did not respond to the DNA query. A school teacher, however, said they tried to contact the family during Damini’s absence several times but received no response. “We wanted to tell them about the exam schedule but they never responded to our calls,” said the teacher, requesting anonymity. She added that she was not aware that Damini’s name had been struck off the rolls.
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