Jaipur Hearing-Impaired Students Protest Over Poor Facilities; Principal And Staff Relieved Of Duties

Jaipur: An emotional and unprecedented scene unfolded on Wednesday at the Government Seth Anandilal Poddar Senior Secondary School for hearing impaired in Jaipur, as the students staged a sit-in protest over poor amenities in the school.

Unable to speak or hear, the students conveyed their grievances to the administration through hand gestures, placards, and written messages. The students didn't attend the classes and instead gathered outside the premises.

The students confined the principal and other staff members within the school grounds and locked the main gate from the outside. Later the officials from the education department and police arrived at the protest and defused the situation by communicating with the students through sign language and written notes.

In their formal complaint, the students alleged that they are not provided quality food in the hostel, sanitation was extremely poor, and the condition of the toilets was deplorable. The students also raised the issue of the shortage of sign language teachers and claimed that money was sometimes extorted from parents under the pretext of facilitating calls or arranging hospital visits. Furthermore, the students demanded an impartial inquiry into allegations of harassment of female students by a male staff member.

Following the protest that lasted nearly three hours, the Education Department relieved the school principal, a teacher, and afourth-class employee of his duties and assured the students that their other complaints would be resolved promptly.

The Education Department has formed a special committee to assess the sanitation, drinking water, building conditions, and other basic amenities in the school and submit a report soon. Based on the report, necessary repairs and improvements will be undertaken to provide a safe and better learning environment for students. The students subsequently called off their protest.

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Terming the incident shameful for the BJP government, Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Julie remarked that children with special needs were forced to sit on the streets to seek solutions to their problems. “The silence of children who cannot raise their voices has now become the most powerful message against the government's insensitivity,” said Julie.