Top-scoring student’s future uncertain without Kattunayakan certificate
SIVAGANGA: Though she bagged 478 marks in class 10 exams and brought pride to her whole community, 15-year-old N Iniya Sree’s dream of pursuing higher education and wielding the stethoscope could soon bite the dust as she has not yet been provided a Kattunayakan (ST) community certificate.
Iniya, a student of Maharishi Vidya Mandir in Karaikudi, scored 96 in Tamil and English, 99 in Mathematics, 97 in Science and 90 in Social Science. Her father M Naadimuthu said he too lacked a community certificate. “My wife Mohana received a Thottiya Naicker (MBC) certificate by mistake.
As our efforts to obtain a certificate of our actual (Kattunayakan) community failed, I had to secure an MBC certificate for my son also using Mohana’s document. This helped him pursue an MBA course,” he said.
However, the family wants to put a stop to securing certificates from a community that they do not belong to. Iniya is adamant about receiving the Kattunayakan community certificate as she wants only what is rightfully hers. All efforts of the family to obtain this so far have been in vain.
“Another issue is the high bribes demanded by officials. A few other kids from our locality gave up their fight for the documentation and dropped out of school. They are doing odd jobs now. Our relatives from across the state are facing this ordeal.
When contacted, officials said they could not immediately find Iniya’s application. “Her application might have been rejected due to lack of evidence. Moreover, they have to apply for a certificate in their native place which could make the whole process easier,” one of the officials said.
TN counsellors identify 130 pupils as high-risk
Chennai: Days after the release of class 12 public examination results in the state, counsellors from the health department have identified 130 high-risk students. The officials began counselling students on the 104 helpline right after results were declared on May 6. The total number of students who did not clear the exam is 53,152, and 38,723 (till May 9) students have been counselled so far, out of which 130 have been identified as high-risk. The latter have been referred for further counselling by a clinical psychologist.
