Sujata Mohite, a resident of Vashi, has alleged that St Lawrence School of Ryan Group in Vashi, denied admission to son who is in class 2, on the grounds of her being a single parent, reported Times of India.
The video of Mohite’s conversation with the school’s principal, Saira Kennedy, has gone viral on social media. In the video, Kennedy says that the school does not admit children of single parents as it is “difficult for the school to handle them.”
When asked about what would happen if the parents of a child got divorced after they were admitted to the school, the principal said that it would be unfortunate but the child’s admission would not be revoked.
The boy's mother said that she approached St Lawrence School earlier in June but the school denied having vacancies after finding out she was a single mother, according to Times of India.
In the video, Mohite says that she is a working parent and can afford the fees. However, the principal dismisses her argument.
Mohite posted a complaint on the school's Facebook page after which she was called by the management in order to understand the problem, according to The Hindu.
The school's spokesperson said that they “do not discriminate in admitting students under any criteria and do not have any such policy for parents.” An investigation is underway and appropriate action will be taken, the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Women & Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said that she has alerted Secretary of School Education at the HRD Ministry Reena Ray to look into the issue.
(With inputs from Times of India and The Hindu)
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