The Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Ernakulam, has issued a strict directive to Assistant Educational Officers (AEOs) in all 14 education sub-districts across the district to ensure that no student is denied school admission for want of Aadhaar cards, as it fall foul of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), which mandates free and compulsory elementary education for all children aged 6 to 14.

The move comes a day after The Hindu reported that around 88 migrant children were denied admission to schools for various reasons, primarily the absence of Aadhaar cards. The Kochi-based Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) could enrol only 38 out of the 126 migrant children it identified for enrolment during this academic year. Most of them were from Assam and West Bengal, settled largely in known migrant worker hubs such as Perumbavur, Muvattupuzha, and Kothamangalam.

“Apart from the general directive, specific instructions will be issued to schools accused of denying admission to children for not having Aadhaar cards. In addition, details have been sought from schools regarding students enrolled without Aadhaar, so that arrangements can be made to provide them free textbooks,” said Subin Paul, DDE, Ernakulam. While students can be enrolled without Aadhaar cards, they would not be eligible for benefits such as free uniforms, textbooks, and midday meals.

Thanks to the Education department’s intervention, CMID was able to enrol two migrant students in Muvattupuzha on Tuesday. However, hurdles remain in enrolling migrant children for Aadhaar cards, which are necessary to make them eligible for benefits. Previously, schools could arrange Aadhaar enrolment, but this is no longer the case.

District Child Protection Office (DCPO) sources said that high-level intervention would be required to resolve the matter. “Even at a meeting organised in connection with Roshni, a project for the educational uplift of migrant children, before school reopening, the District Collector had made it very clear that no student should be denied school admission on the ground of not having Aadhaar cards,” said sources. The DCPO has also sought details from the education department regarding the alleged denial of school admission to children.