Kerala Education Minister signals rethink on Aadhaar rule in school admissions
Kerala's Education Minister has announced a review of the mandatory Aadhaar card requirement for school admissions following reports that migrant children were being denied enrollment. The policy has faced criticism for violating the Right to Education Act by excluding children from other states.
Why it matters
The decision addresses systemic barriers to education for migrant populations and highlights the tension between digital identity requirements and fundamental rights.
Kerala Minister for Education N. Samsudheen has said that the mandatory Aadhaar card-based headcount of students on the sixth working day of every academic year, which has led to denial of admission especially for migrant children, will be revisited and alternative measures explored. He was responding to a report in The Hindu on how many migrant children in Ernakulam district were denied admission for want of Aadhaar cards at the start of this academic year. Of the 126 migrant children identified by the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID), mostly from Assam and West Bengal and settled in migrant-dense areas such as Perumbavur, Muvattupuzha, and Kothamangalam, 88 were denied admission in this manner.
The article reports on a government policy shift in response to documented social issues without using loaded language or taking a partisan stance.
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