Calcutta, Nov. 25: Pass certificates of ICSE and ISC examinees would bear the names of parents from 2008 and the Delhi-based Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations is not insisting on the father’s.

Children of single mothers will have their mother’s name on their certificates.

The school boards that conduct the Madhyamik, higher secondary and CBSE examinations make the mention of the father’s name mandatory.

“The council has already discussed the proposal. The modalities of implementing it are being worked out,” said Gillian Rose Mary Hart, a member of the council’s executive committee.

The ICSE council’s move follows a circular from the ministry of human resource development, which suggested allowing students to have only the name of their mother on pass certificates.

The circular was sent to all school boards.

According to the plan, ICSE and ISC students will be given the option of having the name of either parent on their pass certificates.

There is no mention of parents on the pass certificates issued now.

The proposed move was also discussed at a meeting of the association of principals of non-Anglo Indian ICSE and ISC schools held in Calcutta recently.

Over 800 institutions and several council officials were part of the talks.

“The plan is very important as the number of single mothers is increasing. It will help them establish their rights,” said Hart, also the principal of Welland Gouldsmith School.

“We are hopeful of introducing the new system from 2008,” the council officials told the school heads.

The principals had earlier asked the council to introduce parents’ names on pass certificates.

“Mention of a parent will help the schools identify a student easily,” said Kajari Mukherjee, the principal of Balika Siksha Sadan.

An easier process of identification is necessary particularly at the time of admission to the Plus Two course.

The principal of a south Calcutta school said: “There are certain names that are very common. And sometimes the names and surnames of two or more children are identical.”

Another principal said there were three students with the same name in a single batch at her school.

“There was a lot of confusion when we received their ISC pass certificates because there was no way to distinguish the students but for the registration numbers, which they did not remember. A mention of the name of the father or mother would have made it a lot easier for us to identify the girls.”