Report cards come with caste tag here

While most teachers and principals The Sunday Express spoke to thought these were innocuous details, they often fuel caste-related biases. The principal of one such municipal school said on condition of anonymity that there was nothing new about these report cards. “We have been writing sub-castes on progress cards for over 30 years now. We have chamars, bhangis, vankars and wagri children, among others. What difference does it make whether we write their castes or not? We anyway know each other’s castes.”

Some of the casteist terms the principal mentioned are derogatory enough to invite action under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Even the official records in AMC schools name castes and sub-castes. For instance, the printed instructions for Dalit and OBC students seeking scholarships in AMC schools specify bhangi students may apply. The scholarship form reads: ‘Ganda ane aswachh waleo ne balakon mate shishirvriti (Scholarships for children of people involved in dirty and impure work).’

At the Gomtipur Gujarati School in the city, 80 per cent of the students belong to backward communities like the Valmiki community. Its principal Ramilaben Lavjibhai Chavda said it is the parents who insist that the report cards mention the sub-castes their children. “They want to ensure that they don’t lose out on the scholarships and other benefits extended to backward classes,” she said.

Lakhdir Desai, Administrative Officer (Education) at AMC, insisted that it was important to mention the sub-caste of a child as it avoided confusion over children who had the same names.

Gujarat’s Education Minister, Ramanlal Vora, however, claimed he hadn’t heard of this practice: “I had no clue about this. I believe that apart from writing the name and address, there is no need to write any other details on report cards. I will find out.”