Odisha students, parents stage sit-in protesting closure of school 

Protesting against the government’s decision to close down Netra Mohan Upper Primary School at Kantabani village under Bhogarai block in Balasore district, students along with their parents and villagers staged a dharana in front of the school gate on Monday. 

The above-mentioned school was established in 1986. This year 24 and 17 students are enrolled in Class VI and VII respectively. This school is an aided school and its headmaster and an assistant teacher are retired. Meanwhile, two teachers have been brought on deputation. 

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However, the letter from the education department mentioning about the closure of the school came as a shock for the parents and villagers. 

The miffed parents, villagers and students today locked the main gate of the school and staged a sit-in. 

When contacted, Bhogarai Block Education Officer (BEO), Kamal Lochan Biswal said, “The school was an aided one. As per the rule, an aided school exists as long as it has teachers. It has been three years since two teachers of the school were retired. They should have applied for re-recognition of the school in the year when the teachers took retirement. The school would have been closed in January. We didn’t do that because examinations were underway. As the examinations are over now, we have closed the school.”

 “It is not that the school has been closed forever. There is a primary school running from the same campus. We will submit a proposal of opening of classes from VI to VIII at the primary school,” he added.