Grade 1 admissions: Mixed reception to parents’ claims

Complaints to the Bribery and Corruption Commission (BCC) and Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau (CFIB) made by parents whose children were not selected for admission to Grade 1 of certain schools have been treated differently, they claim. While the complaints were accepted by the BCC they are said to have been rejected by the CFIB.

The documents which had been handed over to both institutions had comprised of names of applicants who could be proved to have provided false documents as their names were not found in recent electoral lists at the address from which they had applied.

With the BCC Commissioner accepting the documents and confirming an investigation on the matter, the parents claim that the CFIB refused to accept their complaints.“The CFIB asked them to get an order from the Supreme Court on the grounds that it cannot take any action without a court order as the Supreme Court too is involved in the matter,” a parent said.

The parents said they made complaints to both institutions against the fake residents claiming they had violated their affidavits which every applicant was supposed to forward at the interviews stating that all the documents provided by them were true and authentic.

However, contradicting the parents’ complaint, a CFIB official told The Sunday Times that the complaints made by the parents were regarding a distance issue so it was explained to the parents that the Bureau was unable to take any action regarding the matter and had requested them to seek a solution from the Supreme Court.

“But the CFIB asked them to bring the proof that there were applicants who had forwarded false documents at Grade 1 admission interviews, so that the CFIB could consider investigating,” he said adding that so far none of those parents returned with any documents.

The Sunday Times learns that BCC officials had a discussion on Thursday with the parents whose children were not selected to schools, even though they were living in close proximity, and had taken statements from parents who had applied for admission of their children to four leading schools in the Western Province, as a start to its inquiry.

Meanwhile, a resident living close to Ananda College said that an application had been sent for admission of a child to Asoka Vidyalaya which is also situated close by, under his address, even without informing him, and though he had made a complaint to the CFIB, so far he has not been contacted to begin the inquiry.

The Sunday Times learns that with controversy arising regarding the temporary selected lists of children and with appeals and objections mounting, the Deputy Education Directors who are to sit as the chairmen of the appeal boards are not enthusiastic at having to undertake the task.