No child left behind? Not if you’re a Rohingya refugee in north-east Delhi

Documentation hurdles prevent Rohingya children in Khajoori Khas from enrolling in local schools since they insist on Indian govt.-issued identity cards

Documentation roadblocks are coming in the way of several Rohingya refugee families accessing formal education for their children in the national capital.

About 35-40 Rohingya families have been residing in the densely populated Sri Ram Colony in Khajoori Khas, north-east Delhi, for several years after fleeing persecution in Myanmar. However, their bid to secure admission for their children in Delhi government-run schools and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)-run schools has been stuck due to documentation issues.

While schools typically require Aadhaar cards or other government-issued identification for enrolment, the Rohingya possess only refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“This lack of documentation stands as the primary barrier to these refugee children getting admission,” said advocate Ashok Aggarwal, who took the matter to Delhi High Court last month seeking directions for schools to admit Rohingya children.

The reluctance to speak openly about these challenges is widespread among Rohingya refugees due to fear of repercussions. Asmat Ullah, a Rohingya refugee residing in Khajoori Khas, voiced the struggles he underwent while trying to get his eight-year-old daughter Reshma admitted to schools in the vicinity. “My daughter was denied admission in all the schools. We had no choice but to arrange private tuition to ensure she gets some form of education. We are paying for the tuition out of our limited means,” he said.

“The UNCHR card is useless here as schools demand Indian documents,” said Hussain Ahmed, another Rohingya parent facing a similar predicament with his eight-year-old daughter.

Ball in MHA court

Mr. Aggarwal had argued before the court on October 29 that denial of education violates the refugee children’s fundamental rights under the Indian Constitution. “Non-availability of Aadhaar should not be grounds to deny admission,” pleaded Mr. Aggarwal, describing the practice as both arbitrary and illegal. He named 17 Rohingya refugee children who are yet to get admission in his petition.

The court declined to entertain the plea, noting that since the Rohingya have not been legally granted entry into India, the matter fell under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It directed Mr. Aggarwal to make a representation to the MHA.

As opposed to Khajoori Khas in north-east Delhi, the situation is relatively better at another Rohingya refugee locality in south-east Delhi, Madanpur Khadar.

Mohd. Salim, a community leader and a resident here, says many Rohingya children managed to get admission in schools till Class 10 on the back of support from organisations like the UNHCR. But such help is not uniformly available across locations, he pointed out. “Although the UNHCRlawyers assist with school admissions in our area, this support is absent in Khajoori Khas, Mewat, or Faridabad,” he said.

Mr. Salim said Mewat and Faridabad, both in Haryana, also have a concentration of around 500 and 50 Rohingya refugee families respectively. Refugee children in both places are not permitted to secure admission in any of the local schools, he said.

A Delhi Education Department source said there are provisions to enrol refugee children in schools and the UNHCR looks into it. Attributing the situation in Khajoori Khas to “issues at the school level”, the source said they are open to educating them in Delhi-government schools.

But, Mr. Aggarwal claimed: “No document is required for children’s admission. This is written in the Right to Education Act.”

“One major issue is these children do not have any bank account, making it difficult for the schools to disperse benefits,” he said, adding that the reluctance on the part of the schools could be attributed to the “mindset problem”.

Meanwhile, he has approached the MHA on November 4 seeking issuance of an order clarifying that all refugee children residing in India are entitled to get education in schools irrespective of their nationality.

“It is needless to say that any civilized society cannot afford to keep any child out of the school merely because the child has a refugee status,” Mr. Aggarwal wrote in his representation to the Ministry.

Published - November 16, 2024 12:48 am IST