Odisha Navodaya students protest against poor facilities, march 6km to seek justice from Collector

Tension gripped Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Koraput on Monday after a group of students staged a protest over the long-pending issues in their school.

Holding placards in their hands, the students marched nearly six kilometres along the National Highway to reach the Koraput District Collector’s office to submit a written complaint about the poor condition of their institution.

According to sources, with the Class 10 board examinations drawing near, students have been struggling with several unresolved problems in the school. They alleged that despite making repeated complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken so far.

“No one is bothered about our problems. We had submitted in written form, but no one is ready to bring any solution. So, we resorted to protest as our last step. It is about our future, our career. Our only demand is that we need good lecturers. We have been writing letters, visiting Regional offices, but there is no solution. Now that we have reached to the Collectorate, they are promising to solve the problems. But, we don’t trust them,” alleged a student.

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Expressing frustration, the students said they had no choice but to come out on the streets to draw administrative attention. The protesting students also raised allegations against a guest history teacher, accusing him of not teaching properly and neglecting his academic responsibilities.

Upon receiving information, the Koraput Sub-Collector rushed to the spot and assured the agitating students that their grievances would be addressed immediately. Later, the administration arranged for a bus to transport the students safely back to their school campus.

Meanwhile, the school principal confirmed that all the issues raised by the students had already been reported to higher authorities, and necessary steps would be taken soon to resolve them.

The incident has sparked discussions about the condition of residential schools in the region and the need for better oversight and timely action to address student concerns.