Ahmedabad: Students seeking admission to Class 9 at Rajasthan Hindi High School were left stunned after the school handed them school leaving certificates instead of enrolling them to the next class. Citing a shortage of teachers, school authorities informed parents that they would not be continuing the Class 9 section, leaving around 240 students who passed Class 8 in limbo.

“When we collected our children’s Class 8 results, no one mentioned the discontinuation of Class 9. Later, we were abruptly told that admissions would not happen due to a lack of staff,” said a parent protesting outside the school. Another parent demanded intervention from the education department, emphasizing that they prefer a grant-in-aid institution for their children. Notably, this is the second year in a row the school has refused Class 9 admissions.

Responding to the incident, the District Education Officer (DEO) issued a notice to the school principal, seeking a written explanation within 24 hours. The DEO’s office questioned the rationale behind denying Class 9 admissions and prematurely issuing LCs. DEO Rohit Chaudhary confirmed that an education inspector has been assigned to investigate the matter. He also noted that while the school had earlier proposed closing certain classes, it had later opted to continue operations. DeshGujarat