Many private schools in Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar closed in protest

A parents’ association described the school closures as “pressure tactics” on the part of the private schools

Many private schools in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar closed for one day on Tuesday to protest the arrest of the principal and a teacher from an Azamgarh school where a Class 11 girl student died after jumping off the school building in an incident on July 31. The Uttar Pradesh Unaided Private Schools Association (Upsa) called for the closure of all private schools in the state on Tuesday.

Two private schools that were closed in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. Most private schools in Greater Noida were closed. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The Independent Schools’ Federation of India, an association of more than 100 schools, said it was a one-day closure to protest the arrest of school officials in Azamgarh and to express solidarity with the deceased student’s family.

“Students and parents were notified of the school closure a day in advance. The one-day closure is part of our silent protest against the arrest of Azamgarh school officials. We maintain that a thorough investigation should have been conducted prior to making any arrests. All of our private schools in Ghaziabad are closed for one day, and classes will resume as usual on Wednesday,” said Subhash Jain, president of Independent Schools’ Federation.

The district education department officials in Ghaziabad said the closure of schools was requested by private school associations in Uttar Pradesh, but state officials issued no such call for the closure of government schools.

“There is no government support for it, and all government schools were open on Tuesday. Ghaziabad has 419 schools, with 196 of them being private schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE). No government schools affiliated with the UP Board have been called to close. Some of these unaided UP Board affiliated schools may have been closed on Tuesday,” said Rajesh Kumar Srivas, district inspector of schools, Ghaziabad.

He was unable to determine the number of schools that had been closed. On the other hand, parents reported that many schools remained open on Tuesday.

According to PTI, a Class 11 student of Children’s Girls College in Azamgarh’s Harbanspur allegedly died by suicide on July 31. Principal Sonam Mishra and class teacher Abhishek Rai were arrested on August 5 following a complaint by the girl’s family members, PTI reported.

“One of my children attends school in Indirapuram, while the other attends school in Greater Noida. On Tuesday, both schools were open. However, social media was buzzing with closure, leaving us unsure whether to send our children to school. However, there was no communication from the two schools to parents,” said Namita Sharma, a Crossings Republik resident.

Other parents reported receiving notification of the closure late Monday night. “However, I missed the message and drove my child to his school in Noida. The school had been closed, and many students were returning. So I had to drop my child off at home before heading to work, and I was a little late. The call for closure was unnecessary. By doing so, the schools are attempting to obstruct the investigation and sending the message that school officials are above the law,” said BK Pandy, a resident of Sector 5, Vaishali.

In Gautam Budh Nagar, only about half of the district’s schools were closed on Tuesday in solidarity with the strike, according to Aditi Basu Roy, district president of the All India Principals’ Association (GB Nagar chapter) and principal of Grads International School in Greater Noida.

“There were many schools in Noida that were open to students. The majority of schools in Greater Noida were closed. As a mark of protest, most teachers wore black clothing or black bands to school. Prayer meetings were held for the deceased student and the safety of the teaching community,” she said.

A parents’ association described the school closures as “pressure tactics” on the part of the private schools.

“Many of these schools are run by businessmen and corporates who want to pressure authorities to release the arrested Azamgarh school officials. Such closures disrupt students’ studies, and we have asked district officials to intervene,” said Vivek Tyagi, spokesperson for the Ghaziabad Parents’ Association.

“School closure has an impact on students’ studies. Why are schools jeopardising students’ education because of a police decision? Furthermore, instead of interfering with students’ academics, school principals should let the law take its course,” said Manoj Kataria of the Gautam Budh Nagar Parents Welfare Society (GPWS).

He added that because some schools were closed while others remained open, many parents were confused about their children’s school schedules.

Inputs from Ashni Dhaor in Noida