GLENN COSTA
RIVONA: All’s well that ends well. Students from the Rivona children home — all 43 of them, including 13 HIV positive children — will begin attending regular classes from tomorrow, officials of the priest-run Rivona school said after a closed door meeting with the nuns of the children’s home where the 43 children including the HIV positive ones live.
With the problem resolved, the school in Sulcorna, approached by the nuns for admission of their 43 students including the HIV afflicted, when an impediment arose in the Rivona school, will no longer have to deal with parents who objected to the school giving these admission without consulting them.
The students were living with nuns at a Children’s home that lies between Rivona and Zambaulim. They were being home tutored till this year, till the Supreme Court, in March 2014 issued notices to the Centre and all States on a PIL declaring HIV children as a disadvantaged group.
According to the management sources, talks between the nuns and the school were fruitful, though they were held completely behind closed doors given the negative publicity that the whole issue got from a section of the media.
“The issue is solved. The students will be joining school tomorrow,” a member of the management said on condition of anonymity given the heat generated. He also said that the news report by a section of the media had created misunderstanding, and possibly could have been a result of some vested interest leaking a half truth while the matter was still being discussed and sorted out.
Both the schools come under the ABE umbrella.
In the 6 kms around the home — between Rivona and Zambaulim, there are some 4-5 schools while the Sulcorna school is around 8-10 kms from there.
According to sources, many of the reactions from varied places were premature and without any basis or ground visit.
According to media reports, the Commission was disturbed over the discrimination of 13 HIV-positive students, whose admissions to a Sulcorna school are being strongly objected by parents of other students studying in the school.
“We will visit the school. We have to find time to resolve the issue. These children cannot be discriminated just because they are HIV positive. As per Right to Education Act, no child under any circumstances should be discriminated from taking up education,” Commission’s chairperson Sameera Kazi had told Herald and asked the government to immediately notify bodies to attend to various grievances by the students and all schools’ parent teacher associations.
“We are holding another meeting with the concerned agencies on June 27. A report will be prepared in this regard,” she had said, even as she had already said that action should be taken in a previous day quote.
“I have not received a report on the issue. Once the report is received, we will take a decision,” director of education Anil Powar had told Herald. He also refuted allegations that the department had no intention of taking the issue up, just reiterating that no complaint was received as yet and no report received too for any action to be taken.
Positives and Negatives of the admission story
43 students from Children’s Home including 13 that are HIV positive enrolled but did not attend priest-run Rivona school
After the Supreme Court order in March 2014 the children registered with same school and were supposed to begin regular classes
By May this year there were objections from some parents of the Rivona school against admitting HIV positive children, in complete violation of Supreme Court orders
Not wanting to deny their wards admission, the nuns approached another priest-run school in neighbouring Sulcorna
Academic year began and the 43 from the Children’s home begin regular classes
A hitch appears after some parents from Rivona find out and make an issue as to why all children (read HIV positive children) are in Sulcorna and not divided between the two schools
On Friday the 13th, parents threatened to take leaving certificates if the issue wasn’t resolved
While negotiations were on between managements of both schools, the nuns from the home, the top brass of the schools (both come under the umbrella of the ABE) a section of the media reported the story targeting the Sulcorna school and the education department director
Negotiations continue even as a veil of secrecy covered the issue. Parents of the Sulcorna school reportedly came up with a formula that the children could be divided between Sulcorna and Rivona
Finally even as the media pressure built up, meetings were held on Monday between the Nuns the Rivona school to stick to the original decision to admit all 43 students of the Children’s Home
The Rivona school management decided to admit all 43 students who will begin their classes tomorrow
