Students deprived of schooling in the Name of protests.

Bikram Prasad Rauniyar,
Mahottari,

The ongoing protests asking the government to deploy the agreement regarding federal state boundaries between the Madhesi parties and the government has deprived the students of education in Terai.

The government and private schools in Terai remain closed as the course of protests remains unchanged since the last month and has alarmingly affected almost 170,000 students in the Mahottari alone.

The schools have been out of function since the 14th of August because of the strike initiated by the Madhesh based parties. According to the district’s education officer Arvindlal Karn: 411 primary, 127 Lower-Secondary, 65 Secondary and 42 higher-Secondary schools have remained closed because of the protests affecting a total of 169,589 students. Karn also says there are currently 126,361 students enrolled in primary, 20,816 in lower secondary, 10,371 in secondary and 2,041 in higher secondary schools.

The protesters released statements specifically warning that the schools shall remain closed although schools were declared violence free zones. Students have been deprived of their basic need of education as teachers shut down schools in fear. Since the schools remain closed, School students are being used in the protests. Children from the age of five to fifteen are seen on the streets, chanting protest slogans and setting tires on fire to disturb the functionality of everyday life. With the course of current protests, school students from different villages are seen on the streets of Jaleshwor and nearby places.

“Despite the parties saying that schools and children will not be involved in the protests, their failure to follow what’s been said is evident” said Human Right district representative Ajay Kumar Sah. While the declarations of the parties regarding schools and students are not being followed, the direct effects are seen on the school children. This has also changed the day-to-day lives of the children. Instead of carrying school bags on their shoulders, they are seen carrying bicycle tires and sitting on highways instead of schools. Sangita Rauniyar, a student working for social and village development said that this kind of derailment is bound to affect the mentality of the students and have adverse effects on their social and behavioral grounds.

This kind of derailment is bound to affect the mentality of the students and have adverse effects on their social and behavioral grounds

“The government as well as the protesting parties should be concerned enough with what’s happening with the school students” said the co-president of Private school’s council, Ishwari Pant. Pant also mentioned that the use of school students for one’s political benefits is wrong. Pant has also requested the parties to realize that this is wrong and construct necessary environment for Schools to function normally. Intellectuals even say that the use of students in the protests has a negative effect on the society.

Read the original article here :- आन्दोलनका कारण महोत्तरीमा पौने दुई लाख विद्यार्थी स्कुल जानबाट बञ्चित , आन्दोलनको नाममा बालबालिकाको प्रयोग ।