Colleges deny admissions to deserving visually impaired students

Colleges deny admissions to deserving visually impaired students

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore June 03, 2014: Seva Bharati Foundation, Mangalore, which runs ’Chetana’ for mentally challenged and ’ Roman and Catherine Lobo School’  for the Blind has filed a complaint against Ganapathy PU College and Besant PU College with State Commissioner for persons with disabilities and PU Board, Bangalore, for denying admission to the visually challenged students, according to reliable news reports.

Four students from  School for the Blind in Kotekani who had brought laurels to the school by securing distinction in recent SSLC exam, but  visually challenged and belonging to BPL families  had secured distinction.  Pradeep Kumar from Pernankila in Udupi (91 per cent), Nithyananda from Karkala (90 pc), Gururaj from Nalkooru in Belthangady taluk (84 pc) and Anvith (88 pc) are the four students.

These distinction  students applied to Ganapathy College and Besant College seeking admissions to PUC. The students were taken aback when both the aided colleges refused admissions on the grounds that the special students were “not normal students” and the colleges are only for “normal students.” “The denial of seats in aided PU colleges is not only discriminatory but is violation of rights of differently abled people. Under the circumastances, Seva Bharati filed complaint with the authorities concerned,” said a press statement from Seva Bharati.

Meanwhile, the students were admitted to Gokarnanatha PU college and the management also provided concession to their fees. St Agnes College too admitted a visually impaired student Meghana from Roman and Catherine Lobo School for the Blind, according to a release. The concerned students are normal and  understanding of some educational authorities needs to be revamped.