Malappuram: School in a spot over uniform diktat

MALAPPURAM: A self-financing English medium high school in the district courted controversy after it introduced separate uniforms for students based on their academic performance. After the intervention from the part of child welfare authorities, the Al Farooque English Medium School at Pandikkad withdrew the system on Thursday.
The issue was brought to light after the Child line authorities received a complaint from students and parents against the discrimination.According to the Childline authorities, 32 students of the school, who were good at studies were told by the school authorities to wear a gray uniform, while others were wearing the regular uniform of the school.
After receiving the complaint in June the Childline authorities had conducted a survey among the students about their feedback on the new system and the authorities found that the students feel discriminated. "As most of the students were unhappy, we had demanded the school authorities to withdraw the system immediately," said district coordinator of Childline, Anwar Karakkadan. But, when the childline workers visited the school after one month they found that the school authorities had not withdrawn the system. Subsequently, they approached Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) and district Child Welfare Committee seeking intervention in the issue.
School principal Abdul Kareem said the new system was launched as part of forming students' group in class rooms to monitor different co-curricular activities and the system was withdrawn in the backdrop of the complaints from various corners. The KeSCPCR has registered a suo motu case against the school authorities.