A Dalit girl in Tamil Nadu has been denied equal access to education after being forced to take her exams outside the classroom because she was menstruating. This act of exclusion is not only a violation of her fundamental rights but also an example of the intersectionality of gender and caste-based discrimination that continues to affect many Dalit students across India.
The incident unfolded when the student, a regular attendee of the school, was told by her teacher that she was not allowed to sit with her classmates during the exam because she was menstruating. The teacher invoked cultural and religious beliefs that are deeply entrenched in caste hierarchies, citing menstruation as a reason to segregate the girl from her peers.
This form of discrimination is not uncommon in certain parts of India, where menstruating women and girls, particularly from Dalit and lower-caste backgrounds, are often treated as ‘impure’ and forced to live by degrading taboos. For Dalit students, this kind of exclusion in schools creates an environment where they feel marginalized and inferior, further hindering their ability to focus on their studies and succeed academically.
Rights groups have condemned the school’s actions, calling for immediate action to address caste-based practices in educational institutions. The Tamil Nadu government has been urged to take a hard look at the practices within its schools and ensure that such discrimination does not occur in the future.
The case has sparked a wider conversation about how caste-based practices intersect with gender in India. Women and girls from marginalized communities face a compounded form of oppression, and their education is often the first place where these biases are manifested. This incident calls for greater efforts to not only protect the rights of Dalit students but also to foster a more inclusive and equitable educational environment for all.
