Haryana school admission form seeks religion, 'unclean occupation' data from kids

PTI | Apr 11, 2018, 20:35 IST
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Illustration for representational purposeIllustration for representational purpose
CHANDIGARH: Amid controversy over school students in Haryana being asked to fill a lengthy admission form giving details like if their parents are engaged in any "unclean occupation", Department of School Education on Wednesday clarified that no new term has been introduced in the form by the present state government.
The state government's reaction came after the opposition hit out at the Khattar dispensation.

"No new term has been coined much less introduced in the form by the present Government of Haryana," an official spokesman of Department of School Education said in a release.

On the use of a particular adjective, "unclean occupation", with the vocation of parents, he said, "the said adjective is and has ever since been a part of a scheme of Pre-Matric Scholarship of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, first revised on January 21, 2009 and last on July 1, 2011."

In the admission form, students above primary classes have also been asked to mention their and their parents' Aadhaar numbers, parents' occupation and educational qualification.

The form also seeks to know "whether parents of students are engaged in unclean occupation, whether they are income tax payees, their religion and caste details, genetic disorder, if any, besides students' bank details".

The spokesman said that "the school admission form is intended to ensure that every student is enabled to receive full benefit of every scheme of Government of India and Government of Haryana directly in her account in case such benefit is monetary."

"To those who are asking what will they do with the bank account details of a student, the department would obviously send all amounts of cash grants and scholarships directly into this bank account," he said.

He also said that practically all scholarship schemes have an income ceiling.