RANCHI: Members of the National Private Schools’ Association (NPSA) sat on a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan here on Saturday demanding reopening of the schools for all classes.
The agitators said students from the economically weaker sections are unable to attend the online classes since March 2020 as they do not have smartphones with internet connectivity, thus affecting their studies adversely.
Akshay Prasad, president of NPSA, a state-based organisation, said, “We represent the non-recognised private schools and our organisation has 300 members. A large group of students studying in our schools come from poor families and their education has been affected because of the closure of schools. Moreover, the teachers are also not getting their salaries for the past several months. We have submitted a charter of demands to the governor and the chief minister.”
He said since the intensity of the Covid-19 pandemic has declined and other public places like markets and malls are opened, the schools must also be allowed to reopen right from pre-nursery classes with preventive guidelines.
Singh further said NPSA had formed a human chain in September 2020 demanding monetary aid from the government for the affected teachers but rued that the government is yet to take up any action in this regard.
He added that Saturday’s dharna was aimed at drawing the attention of the government, which is scheduled to hold a meeting on February 19 to discuss further unlocking processes.
Notably, there are around 1,600 non-recognised private schools in Ranchi district alone.