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HIV-infected children denied entry into school

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, JULY 14. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony's directive to the Director of Public Instruction (DPI) to ensure admission to the HIV-infected siblings, Akshara and Ananthu, to the lower primary school at Mannamchery near Kottiyur here could not be implemented today as the local people, including parents of children studying in the school barred them and other senior Education Department officials from entering the school premises. The school headmistress was placed under suspension for her failure to execute the order.

A number of people, including women, who assembled outside the SNLP School blocked the entry of the children and their mother, Rema, as well as the Deputy Director of Education, K. Raveendran, and the Deputy Director in the DPI Office in Thiruvananthapuram, K. Sasidharan, when they reached the spot at around 3 p.m., following the school authorities' assurance to give admission at a meeting held at the chamber of the District Collector, K.S. Srinivas, in the morning.

The Chief Minister's directive followed the staging of a dharna by Akshara and Ananthu, along with their mother in front of the Secretariat on July 13 demanding that they be admitted to the school which had denied them admission following protests from a section of parents as well as the school authorities because of stigma attached to the HIV infection. Akshara and Ananthu were seeking admission to classes two and one respectively in the school.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Raveendran said that he suspended the headmistress, C.K. Girija, for her failure to discharge her duties and implement the Government Order. An inquiry would be conducted into her alleged role in denying admission to the two hapless children, he said. Though the police personnel were present near the school, the children, their mother, who was also HIV-positive and was now working with a voluntary organisation engaged in HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, as well the DDEs returned from the spot after waiting for nearly two hours for gaining entry into the school premises. The headmistress reached the school nearly half-an-hour after the arrival of the children and the officials.

The school manager, Ramakrishnan, and the headmistress, had assured the Collector in the meeting held in his chamber that the children would be admitted to the school.

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