Lakshadweep admin shuts 2 govt schools; 350 students in crisis
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Thiruvananthapuram: Following the ban on teaching Arabic and Mahal languages in Lakshadweep, the Union territory administration has closed two government schools, sending the basic education of around 350 schoolchildren into crisis. The Andrott Mecheri Govt. Junior Basic School, which has 135 students, and the Agatti South Govt. Junior Basic School, which has 208 students, were ordered to be closed by Lakshadweep Education Director Padmakar Ram Tripathi.
The order is to close the recently constructed Mechery Govt. Junior Basic School and shift the children there to the Govt. SB School Edachery, which is two and a half kilometres away. Of these, the Agatti South Govt. The Junior Basic School building was demolished by the island administration on the night of the 19th of June.
An educational strike, organized by students under the leadership of School Management Committees (SMCs), has been called on Monday on Andrott Island against the school closure order. They will be boycotting classes.
Both the mentioned schools have not opened since June 9, when the new academic year began on the island. Students studying in Mechery School and their parents are protesting in front of the closed school. The parents and the school SMCs are protesting and fighting a legal battle by not sending their children to the Edachery school, which is two and a half kilometres away, as suggested. Protesters have approached the Kerala High Court regarding the closure of the schools.
The order states that the reason for closing the two existing schools and merging them with others is to ensure better facilities and human resources. A report was also obtained from the Public Works Department stating that the Agatti South Govt. Junior Basic School building has a fitness problem.
It was under the cover of this report that the island administration demolished the school building on the night of the 19th. Although the teachers of the schools have been shifted to the merged schools, the students are not ready to move. The educational facilities that were earlier available within a radius of one kilometre have been changed to a distance of three kilometres.