By DCD Desk
Pondicherry June 20, 2022: Dalit Christian Teachers Employee Association (DCTEA) reports that the discrimination faced by Dalit Christian students and teachers is immense.
The Dalit Christian teachers are deliberately accused and their opportunities are snatched away by the diocesan schools, says John Britto, founder-cum-president of the DCTEA.
“We started Dalit Christian Teachers Employee Association to employ the Dalit Christian teachers and to get admission to Dalit Christian schools. We also help the Dalit Christian students to get the scholarship,” adds Britto.
A teacher by profession manages to start this association in all the diocesan schools to help the Dalit Christian community.
In their recent letter to the Archbishop Francis Calist of Pondicherry–Cuddalore, it is stated that the Dalit Christian teachers are asked to spend their money for the development activities of the schools, whereas in other schools, the school correspondents take the funds from their schools.
St. Mary’s High School in Krishnan Kuppam village belongs to the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, where the Dalit Christians are the majority. Only two teachers receive a salary from the government. These two teachers pay every month for the students to travel 1200 Indian rupees voluntarily. But it is painful to note that the correspondent of the school forced them to pay rupees 4000 Indian rupees every month.
The correspondent again delays crediting the salary of these teachers and instigates the other teachers to turn against these two Dalit Christian teachers.
In Manjakuppam, though the majority of the children are Dalit Christians, there is not even a single Dalit Christian teacher is appointed in 180 years of the school’s history.
In the same way, there are many schools in the Archdiocese of Pondicherry–Cuddalore Dalit Christian students are deprived of getting admission and the Dalit Christian teachers face caste discrimination in schools.
The copy of the letter is sent to the education secretary of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry–Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu Catholic Educational Association, the correspondent of St. Mary’s High School and all the correspondents of Archdiocesan schools of Pondicherry–Cuddalore.
“We fear that this would lead to close down the schools where the Dalit Christian children are the majority,” says Britto who is working in one of the diocesan schools.
He is a qualified candidate for civil service examinations of Tamil Nadu but resigned from his government post and work at the diocesan school.
Many Dalit Christians petition to get jobs in the Catholic schools, but their applications remain pending and a few who are working remain oppressed, falsely accused and emotionally offended.
“We have given many memorandums in the past and will also approach our Archbishop in this regard,” said Britto.
“We aim to eradicate the caste discrimination and to establish equality in the educational institutions,” he added.
