Students from Thane, Palghar march with bags, goats to protest closure of schools having thin enrollment

Photo for representational purpose. File Pic

Several students from tribal areas of Thane and Palghar districts marched with their school bags and goats to Azad Maidan in neighbouring Mumbai on Wednesday to protest the Maharashtra education department's decision to shut around 3,000 schools across the state, where only a handful of students are enrolled.

The protest, spearheaded by a social organisation, was held on a day when schools for Classes 1 to 7 reopened in Thane, Palghar, Mumbai and some other places after more than 20 months in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with students being welcomed back on campuses with balloons, flowers and rangolis.

However, a number of students from schools, which are to be closed by the education department due to only a few students enrolled there, staged a protest, spearheaded by the Shramjivi Sanghatna, against the government's decision, the social organisation said in a release.

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They carried their school bags and goats while marching to south Mumbai and shouted slogans in Marathi against the government, saying "dafter gya, bakriya dya" (take back our school bags and give us goats for grazing).

Some of the students and members of the Shramjivi Sanghatna were stopped by police at the Dahisar check naka following which they squatted on roads to register their protest.

Later, a delegation of the social organisation met School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad in Mumbai and submitted a memorandum to her. The minister assured to look into the matter, the release said.

Meanwhile various government and civic schools reopened in Thane and Palghar for classes 1 to 7 and authorities welcomed the students with balloons, flowers and rangolis (colourful traditional patterns).

Authorities checked the temperature of students and provided them sanitisers, as they entered the classrooms in various government and civic schools.

Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske went to some of the civic schools in the city and welcomed the students with roses.

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