Gurgaon: Post takeover by state, Ryan, Bhondsi to open on Monday

Parents, however, said they will wait for 2-3 days for normality to return on campus before sending their wards to school

Amid the continuing smoke and fire over the murder of an eight-year-old student, Ryan International School, Bhondsi will re-open on Monday. With parents voicing concern over the safety of their children in the wake of the incident and the authorities pointing to glaring security loopholes on campus, the state government decided to hand charge of Ryan, Bhondsi to the district administration for three months.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh at the meeting with school representatives on Saturday. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The decision on re-opening the school was disclosed by Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, who held a meeting with officials of private schools regarding safety and infrastructure issues, on Saturday.

Singh will additionally be the in-charge of the school for the next three months. A district administration official will be appointed as administrator to look after non-academic affairs including monitoring and functioning of CCTV cameras, compliance with transport safety policy, ensuing clear view of classrooms through windows, ensuring school toilets are not be used by the support staff, security and staff verification.

The faculty of the school will remain the same and the operations would not be affected, sources said.

“We will try to get the school up and running again by Monday and I will personally visit the campus to take stock,” Singh said.

Faculty members have been informed to join on Monday and the school bus operators have also been instructed to follow usual routes and timings. However, parents are yet not sure of sending their children to the school.

“I will only send my son once the school is taken over by the administration and I am confident of his safety. With so much happening, I do not want my son to be in fear on campus,” Amit Kumar, a parent, said.

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Parents whose children are in classes 10 and 12 are especially worried, as their wards are preparing for the board exams and the events surrounding the Ryan murder risk taking the focus away from studies.

“We are helpless, as we can’t afford to shift our children to different schools because the board exams are imminent. However, we are also unwilling to send them to the school at a time policemen are all over the campus. They are too scared to attend classes. They are confused,” Kavita Singh, a parent, said.

Parents said they will wait for another 2-3 days for a semblance of normality to be restored on campus before taking a call on sending their wards to school.