Mumbai: Versova school staff calls off agitation

Both teaching and non-teaching employees had gone on a strike over ‘fake allegations’ against their founder

Following a volley of accusations and rebuttals between local activists and the management of Versova’s Children Welfare Centre High School, both teaching and non-teaching staff initiated a strike on Friday. The strike was called off after the management intervened.

The grievances of the staff stemmed from the allegations made by unknown activists, who had shared a video where someone had accused the school’s founder trustee and former principal Ajay Jawahar Kaul of corruption and exploitation of underprivileged students. The staff claimed that these “fake accusations” had tarnished their reputation. 

In a circular to parents, the teaching and non-teaching staff announced that they were going to go on strike starting Friday. The school staff and administration had also written to the assistant commissioner of police and Amboli police regarding the allegations. The strike would have affected students’ exams, which is to begin from Monday. However, the strike was called off late on Saturday.

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Speaking to mid-day, Kaul said that issues cropped up between the staff and parents after an old video had resurfaced, with a voiceover that had been altered, to make false allegations against him. “I want to clarify that these allegations are entirely baseless,” he said.

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