Ranchi schools asks parents to trade fertility for preference in girls’ entry

RANCHI: A private school in Ranchi is offering preferential admission and fee waiver to single girl children but with a baffling rider: Their parents must promise not to produce a second child.

The school has demanded an affidavit from parents of single girl child declaring they would not have another child in return for preference in admission in preparatory class, saying it was in the larger interest of the girl child.

The proposition on fertility barter has infuriated parents who queued up for admission in October this year. They hauled the school to court—though it comes a little late considering the scheme was around for four years.

Ranchi-based parents association (Abhibhawak Manch) filed a public interest litigation in the Jharkhand High Court seeking judicial intervention.

A division bench of chief justice Virender Singh and justice PP Bhatt on Wednesday observed that it was wrong to demand such an affidavit from parents.

The court sent notices to the state, DPS Ranchi and its parent body DPS Society in Delhi seeking their replies within four weeks.

The case comes just days after the China ended its one-child policy that has been widely blamed for its rapidly ageing population. Now couples will be allowed to have two.

The parents’ association said seeking written oath was not only illegal but also violated human rights.

“No school has the right t o demand such an af f i davit as it infringes on their rights,” the association said in the PIL.

The school authorities claim the effort was to promote girls education rather than work as a population control agent in a state where over 45 % girls in the age group of eight to 16 are out of school.

School principal Ram Singh said: “It is an independent initiative of our school launched four years ago and we find it absolutely sensible”.

“I don’t know why people are raising hue and cry over it,” he said.

Jharkhand State Women’s Commission chairperson Mahua Majhi said she was shocked to hear about the DPS directive and wondered how they could come up with such a demand.

“I have to look into it to comment further on it,” she said.