UJJAIN (Madhya Pradesh): Over 300 girl students of Government Sarafa School laid siege to the Administrative Complex Building located at the Collectorate here on Friday afternoon to protest against the proposed shifting of the school to village Daudkhedi located some 8 km from the present location. The students raised slogans against the administration.
During the protest, two students fainted and were immediately taken to the hospital. One student broke down in tears and appealed, “Please do not ruin our future”.
Students of about half dozen government schools which are located in the vicinity of Mahakaleshwar Temple are being shifted to Daudkhedi village in wake of Simhastha Mahaparv-2028 arrangements.
Not only the students, but their parents were also on the path for the past many months.
But in Friday’s protest, along with class 11 and 12 students, those studying below ninth standard along with some of their parents also reached the Collectorate premises, where they sat on dharna.
Joint collector Sandeep Singh tried to persuade them, but failed. They wanted the collector to come and assure them, adding that all earlier promises had been broken.
“We are from poor families, and we cannot manage to travel to this distant place. It looks as if the administration wanted to take away our educational rights. If they don’t solve the issue, we may be forced to commit suicide,” said some of the agitated girls.
Parents said they were quite concerned about the presence of a liquor shop and the unsafe environment at the proposed location.
How will students travel from areas 25-30 km away, they asked. There are serious concerns regarding safety, transport and the daily commute to Daudkhedi.
They said, travelling long distances and, in some cases, changing buses several times could create considerable difficulties for girl students. They claimed that around 2,500-2,600 students from six schools would be affected by the proposed changes.
Around 300-350 girls currently study in Classes 9 to 12 at Sarafa Girls School. Similarly, around 350 girls from Classes 1 to 8 study at the Girls Middle School located at Mahakal Maidan.
Students of Maharajwada, CM Rise, Nutan and Madhavendra schools would also be affected, according to the committee.
People associated with the ‘School Bachao Samiti’ said that principals and teachers have privately acknowledged concerns over the possible impact on students, but are reluctant to openly oppose the decision.
District Education Officer Mahendra Khatri said the proposal was a government decision and that proposals concerning the schools had been sent to the government. He said the district-level monitoring committee would take the final decision.
District Congress Committee president and MLA Mahesh Parmar, City Congress Committee president Mukesh Bhati and several other party functionaries also reached at the protest site and announced their full support for the cause.
