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.”