Madras High Court Questions Tamil Nadu Government on Retaining Caste Names in Schools
The judges disapproved of the use of the word ‘tribal’ in the names of government schools.
Chennai:
On Friday, the Madras High Court strongly criticized the continued use of caste-based terms in the names of government schools, stating that this practice could lead to stigmatization of students.
A division bench consisting of Justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan urged the state government to avoid using names like Government Kallar Reclamation School and Government Tribal Residential School.
“It’s disheartening that such terms are still used in the 21st century. Tamil Nadu, a leader in social justice, should not include such stigmatic words as prefixes or suffixes,” the bench remarked while hearing a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) aimed at improving the lives of tribals in the Kalvarayan hills in Salem and Kallakurichi districts.
The judges specifically criticized the use of the word ‘tribal’ in the names of government schools.
Justice Subramanian noted, “Caste names, once seen on street name boards, have been abolished. We no longer have streets with caste names. So, why should they continue to exist in government school names?” He added that during his tenure as Portfolio Judge for Theni district, he encountered children from Government Kallar Reclamation schools being stigmatized.
“The Tamil Nadu government prides itself on being a champion of social justice. You’ve implemented many changes, even renaming Madras to Chennai. So, why retain caste names in government schools?” he questioned.
The division bench subsequently adjourned the PIL petition, pending a further status report from the state government.
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