Thiruvananthapuram:
The suicide of a teenaged girl, who passed her 10th standard from a state school but failed to get admission for a plus two course in a higher secondary school, figured in the Kerala assembly today.
Moving notice for an adjournment motion, opposition CPI (M) member K S Saleekha said the girl, hailing from a poor family from Pattambi in Palakkad district, was a victim of UDF government's "erroneous" education policy, which gives advantage to CBSE students and "neglected" state school students.
Dismissing the charge, both Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Education Minister Abdu Rabb said admissions to plus two courses are made through single window system.
Terming the suicide of the girl yesterday as "very unfortunate", Oommen Chandy said she had given options only in three schools near her home though she could have selected 50 schools. She had also given option only for one subject.
He pointed out the government had increased by 20 per cent seats for plus two courses in all schools, including government, aided and unaided schools.
Mr Rabb said his department should not be blamed for the girl's suicide as the admission process was still in progress.
"Only the first allotment has come out and the process will last till next month," he said.
Oommen Chandy denied the LDF charge of special consideration being shown to CBSE students and said only 11,063 students under CBSE syllabus joined the state syllabus in higher secondary level this academic year, compared to 14,289 last year.