Why include column on ‘religion’ in school forms?
Actor Waheeda Rehman has been seeking the answer to this query for the last 50 years.
Veteran yesteryear actor Waheeda Rehman silenced an elite audience on Thursday when she raised the issue of ‘religion’ being included in school forms in Maharashtra. Unmindful of the aggressive rhetoric it may invite, Rehman said for the last 50 years she has been asking this question, but has not got an answer.
"School forms mein religion ke baare mein kyun poochte hain?” (Why is ‘religion’ included in school forms?) She was participating in a panel discus- sion organised by Pratham Foundation at YB Chavan auditorium. Her pertinent question stumped even State education minister Vinod Tawde who was present in the audience.
Asserting that India has always been a secular country, Rehman felt this column should be deleted in school for ms. "There is no country other than India where people of dif- ferent religions, who speak different languages, co-exist."
Some school principals, too, agree that religion should be not cited in admission forms as it is a direct attack on secularism. A principal of a South Mumbai elite school, said, “Religion of a student should not be cited in the admission form or, for that
matter, in any school form. Nobody has the right to judge a child by his or her religion. It is not a valid criteria as it can lead to serious repercussions and can affect the treatment towards the child due to prejudices related to religion or caste.”
Education expert told FPJ if the state or the central government wants to keep this criteria, then they should make it optional. Avnita Bir, Principal of RN Podar School, said, “This criteria should not be mandatory. Children should be given the freedom of choice: whether they want to disclose their identity or not. They should not be discriminated against, if they are not comfortable in wanting to reveal their religion or caste.”
The state education department revealed that they require this criteria for gathering necessary information about a child, especially to facilitate college students in matters of quotas and scholarships.
A senior education officer said, “Often students need to mention their religion or caste while applying for higher education. The religion of a student is mentioned on the School Leaving Certificate and on the basis of that they get admissions or enrol for certain quotas and scholarships. These are beneficial to the students, too.”