Mangalore, May 31: Four students of Roman and Catherine Lobo School for the Blind in Kotekani in Mangalore had brought laurels to the institution by passing SSLC examinations with distinction.These visually impaired students from BPL families including Pradeep Kumar (91 %) from Pernankila in Udupi, Nithyananda from Karkala (90 %), Gururaj (84 %) from Nalkooru in Beltangady taluk and Anvith (88 %) were denied admission in Ganapathy and Besant PU colleges.
They were denied admission on the grounds that the special students were not `normal students’ and the colleges are only for normal students. The denial of seats in aided PU colleges is not only discriminatory but is violation of rights of differently abled people.
Seva Bharati which runs Roman and Catherine Lobo School for the Blind filed a complaint against the two aided colleges, Ganapathy and Besant PU college Principal Ashalatha and Director Gomathi with State Commissioner for persons with disabilities (PWD) K S Rajanna and PU board in Bangalore.
The management of Gokarnanatha PU College not only admitted all four students but also reduced their fees. Similarly St Agnes College also admitted a visually impaired student Meghana from Roman and Catherine Lobo School for the Blind.
