Demand for donation knows no bounds
View(s):About a month ago, IDP Muslim parents from Puttalam, sought admission for their daughter, in the Advanced Level (A/L) Sinhala Science stream of a leading Muslim Girls’ school in Colombo. Much to her disgust and despair, she was compelled to seek admission closer to home, because of the unacceptable demand for a donation which she could ill afford.
A private sector employee (benefactor) involved in sponsoring Muslim IDP children’s education in areas of Puttalam, through funds solicited and collected from well-wishers, had this to say.
Of most of the Muslim girls in Puttalam, very few study in Sinhala, and even fewer in the Science stream. One such rare Muslim girl, whose education was sponsored as mentioned above, obtained excellent results at the last GCE Ordinary Level in the Sinhala Science stream.
Personally aware of the hardship this girl had undergone to get this far, and in the absence of Sinhala A/L Science stream in Puttalam, the ‘benefactor’, himself a Muslim, was very keen on obtaining an established school for this girl’s A/L studies. So, he approached a leading Muslim girls’ school in Colombo, hopeful of successfully pleading her case with the authorities.
The ‘benefactor’ was granted an interview which didn’t last more than two minutes, as it was conducted standing in the corridor, while the authorities were leaving to go off for the day. All the authorities did was to check the girl’s results and order that the girl and her parents be present for an interview the following week.
At the interview attended by the girl and her parents, which was conducted by officials of the School Development Society (SDS), with the Principal notably absent for obvious reasons, the only thing the interviewers were interested in was how much the parents were willing to contribute to the SDS fund, to admit their child. The interviewers repeatedly badgered the parents to commit themselves to a figure in writing, while thrusting the related document at them, which the parents declined, pleading that they were not in a position to do so.
After much pleading, the parents, in despair and disgust, wrote Rs 5,000, just so they could put an end to this self deprecating, miserable ordeal, knowing very well they couldn’t afford the Rs 5,000 they had committed to.
Once outside, then and there, the parents decided, come what may, instead of presenting themselves for the final interview they had been asked to come for, they would look for a school closer to home, which, possibly, the ‘benefactor’ would be able to find the funds for.
Incidentally, the ‘benefactor’ had to fork out the Puttalam-Pettah-Bambalapitiya-Pettah-Puttalam bus fare for the parents and the girl.
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