The Women and Child Affairs Ministry is planning to hold discussions with the Education Ministry on removing the requirement of birth certificates for school admissions, in a bid to ensure that a child’s right to be in the classroom is not hindered by the absence of such documentation, The Daily Morning learns.

An official from the Women and Child Affairs Ministry, when contacted yesterday (2), stated that the Ministry has identified the need to issue a circular to prevent children from missing out on education due to the lack of a birth certificate. She added that internal discussions are currently underway within the Ministry, and that inter-ministerial discussions with the Education Ministry on the matter are expected to take place soon.

“There are children with birth certificates that carry assumed ages in probationary centres, and also children in coastal areas who do not have these certificates at all. They face multiple difficulties when being admitted to schools,” she said, noting that the issue has affected access to education in several vulnerable communities.

Women and Child Affairs Minister Saroja Savitri Paulraj had earlier this week stated that the Ministry has decided to safeguard a child’s right to “be in the classroom” by ensuring that the absence of a birth certificate does not become a barrier to school admission. She said that the Ministry intends to instruct Zonal Directors of Education to ensure that every child is admitted to school, while any documentation-related issues, including birth certificates, could be resolved subsequently.

She further noted that some children are already lagging behind by nearly three months in their studies, and emphasised the need for immediate intervention to verify whether all children eligible for primary education are being enrolled in schools without delay.