Bengaluru LKG boy may lose year for sporting ponytail

A private school in Bengaluru has expelled a kindergarten student allegedly because he was sporting a ponytail. The boy’s father Manjunath BC was informed by Fr Paul D'Souza, principal of St Vincent Pallotti School on Banaswadi Main Road in Babusaab Palya that rules did not allow boys to keep ponytails and the LKG boy will have to cut his hair if he wanted to continue school.

Manjunath, who has a provisions store in Babusaab Palya, explains that he is not following any fashion but in fact it is the family's custom to cut a boy's hair only after he turned 5 and offer it to the family deity.

"I requested the principal to allow us to keep it, but he was adamant. He said he would not allow my son, Vishnu or us, his parents, to enter the school premises," said Manjunath.

"He returned the fees of Rs 43,000 and sent us out of the school. I fell at the principal's feet, pleading with him to let my son continue, but he refused," said Manjunath.

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Manjunath decided to get his son, Vishnu admitted in some other school in the city. However, even after visiting more than a dozen schools since June 7, Manjunath hasn't been able to get a seat as admissions are closed. Manjunath pointed out, "We will have to wait for another year to admit our son in LKG in some other school."

Denying the allegations, Fr Paul D'Souza said, "I told him not to hold such superstitious beliefs. Following such practices is against our school rules; we can't have different rules for different children."

We will check and the department will decide on the course of action in a couple of days. We are waiting for a complaint from the parents," said K Anand, primary education director, department of public instruction.

Image used for representational purpose only

Image Courtesy: times of india

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