Anu Kuruvilla By Express News Service KOCHI: The greed of some people has put the future of 34 Class X students of a Mattanchery school in jeopardy. In fact, the manner in which the management of Arooja Little Star School misled parents into believing that it was affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) shows the scant concern they have for the students. What is more unbelievable is that they did this for the past seven years! The foulplay by the school management came to light after the students failed to receive their hall tickets for the CBSE Class X examinations this year. “We soon learnt that the school authorities had known about the rejection of our children’s applications since September last year. However, they never bothered to inform us about it at the many parents-teachers meetings held since then,” said Nisha Antony, a parent. “The CBSE did not have any information regarding the students. Now, our kids will have to repeat both Class IX and X if they are to sit for the examination,” she said. Other parents alleged that the school authorities had collected `3,200 as fee for registration. Follow-up enquiries unearthed more misdeeds. “It was revealed that the school had also not registered students of Class IX with the CBSE. Moreover, it never had the authorisation to conduct classes beyond Class VIII. Until last year, it got its students to sit for the Class X examinations by tying up with other CBSE schools. Our kids are the eighth batch,” said Nisha. She said though the school had tied up with another institution for this year’s examinations too, the arrangement did not work out for some reason. “Now, our children are left in a lurch,” she said. Another parent said after the issue came to light, the parents went and met all the officials concerned. “The Class X examinations begin on March 24. So, we knocked at every door. We even met Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who promised to look into the issue. But what can the officials do when our children have not even been registered for Class IX with CBSE,” said the parent. Setting things right: School Principal of Arooja Little Star School Sindhu Mohan said steps were being taken to get the students registered under IGCSE board (International General Certificate of Secondary Education). “However, since the board follows an international syllabus, the students might find it tough to write the examination,” she said. The school was also in talks with the schools following the state syllabus to allow the students to write the state boards examination, Sindhu said.“This will save the students from losing a year,” she said. The school has also decided to discontinue Class IX and X from the next academic year. MORE MISDEEDS Follow-up enquiries by parents revealed that the school had not registered students of Class IX with CBSE and did not have authorisation to conduct classes beyond Class VIII.

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