Weaponising the school Transfer Certificate
Deepika lives in a village outside Udaipur, Rajasthan, where she was studying in a low-cost private school. Pandemic-induced school closures and no access to a digital device effectively cut off her learning exposure. Her parents also lost their livelihoods and did not pay fees for two years. The school provider had to let go of all his teachers and shut down.?
Post pandemic, Deepika tried to enrol in a new school. But without a School Transfer Certificate (TC), her parents could not enrol Deepika even in a free government school without clearing two years of dues. The TC became a powerful tool to force the hand of parents and has led to the exclusion of poor students like Deepika. Some states are even insisting on TC for admission into open schools, often the last resort for children to continue their education outside of formal schools.?
Some State education departments have directed schools to do away with the mandatory TC for admission. This includes private and non-state boards too, at the threat of facing action if they defied the directive.
As expected, school operators have been up in arms saying parents will use this directive to keep moving students and dodge fee payment. Given the complexity involved, the TC issue needs immediate attention. The government needs to look at it from the interest of marginalised and vulnerable children and ensure that a school TC does not become a weapon of mass exclusion.?
Sr. Fellow, Centre For Civil Society
1 年TC is the only tool for schools to expect their dues. If tc won't be required, what would schools do if parents don't deposit fee!! They are already facing lots of challenges in terms of fee regulations and all..
Gender, Inclusion and Public Policy Specialist
1 年This is a pertinent issue, but not insurmountable... for all the digitalisation of documents, including land records, made possible, Transfer certificates might be the least complicated and should need a policy push, investment and implementation/integration to make it a right of every child/parent and made available at the click of a button
Founder of BehanBox- Gender Journalism Platform | Journalist | Public Policy | Advocacy
1 年Hi Safeena. How may I get in touch with you re this?
CHIEF MANAGER CSR| SUSTAINABILITY| IMPACT
1 年Under RTE, no transfer certificate required for getting admission in govt. Schools. But yes,it is used to deny many children their right to education. Like medical & other fields, private schools lobby influences this particular rule & govt. ignore this issue most of time to please this lobby & parents could not get TC without paying pending fees of their children. There should be a provision of punishment in RTE. Govt.needs to punish the private schools/school staff who denied to provide TC to the children, the Govt. Schools/school staff also should be punished who asked TC for admission. There are many other alternatives to recover the fees without affecting the education of a child. Nobody has raised this issue nationwide & this needs to be addressed without any delay. Thanks Safeena Husain for this post