Madras High Court Directs Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to Remove Caste Names from Government Schools

The Madras High Court directed the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu government to take necessary measures to eliminate community and caste names from government schools throughout the state.

A division bench of Justices S. M. Subramaniam and C. Kumarappan issued additional interim orders during proceedings they initiated in response to the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which resulted in nearly 65 fatalities.

The bench said it was brought to its notice that government schools were functioning in that locality (Kalvarayan hills) in the name of “Government Tribal Residential School”. The usage of the term ‘Tribal’ along with the name of the Government School was unwarranted.

The bench noted that using such names for schools could lead to stigma for the students, making them feel as though they are attending a "Tribal School" rather than an institution on equal footing with other schools in the area.

The bench stated that the stigmatization of children is unacceptable to both the Courts and the government. It ordered that any school names indicating a specific community or caste be changed to "Government School." Additionally, children from the local area must be admitted to these schools to ensure equal educational opportunities.

The bench said this Court would ask a question. If the Government School was named as “Tribal School”, then what would be the impact in the society? It was painful that even in the 21st century the Government was allowing to use such words in its run schools, functioning from and out of public money, the bench added.