Students Stage Dharna Against Merger Of Unit-IX Govt Girls’ High School In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Students of Unit-IX Govt Girls’ High School along with their guardians staged a dharna by locking up the main gate of the school in Odisha capital on Monday to protest against its proposed merger with the nearby Government Boys’ High School.

Some students also fell unconscious during the protest, sources said.

The came two days after the state government decided to merge classes from VI to X in the 57-year-old school with the boys’ school at Unit IX to allot a new space for Rama Devi Higher Secondary School, erstwhile Rama Devi Junior College, and separate its infrastructure from the existing Rama Devi Women’s University.

“This school was established in 1967 and is among the best in the city. People from Tankapani, Balianta and Barang send their daughters to this school assured of the safety of their wards and quality of education being imparted here. The teachers are very good here. We had earlier objected to this proposal and the then Education Minister Samir Dash had assured us that the school will continue to function and the land behind it will be allotted to the varsity,” said a parent.

The agitators further said that they have no objection to opening of Rama Devi Higher Secondary School here but the existing school should not be disturbed. They also threatened to hit the streets if the government decides to go ahead with the merger proposal.

Congress leader Suresh Routray also joined the protest to express his solidarity with the students, who later withdrew the protest after being assured by the BEO that she would convey their concerns to the authorities concerned.

Notably, the varsity authorities have been insisting on separating infrastructure of Rama Devi Women’s Higher Secondary School since the classes for around 2,400 students are being conducted only for three hours a day from 7 am to 10 am due to inadequate classrooms or galleries, which has badly affected the quality of education in the premier institution.

A team of faculty members from the Higher Secondary School visited the school on June 27 and it was decided that the arts and commerce streams can be shifted if the wall between two rooms in each block is removed to accommodate a section containing 128 students.

This decision of shifting the girls’ high school was delayed for a few months earlier too following protest of parents, students and locals.