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Maharashtra school department asks schools to not organise political events
The Maharashtra school department’s move comes after the BJP organised a talk on CAA at a school in Maharashtra’s Matunga on Friday. “Students were given information about CAA,” said an organiser of the programme from the BJP.
A week after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a ‘Support CAA’ meet at a school in the city, the Maharashtra school education department has ordered all schools to ensure their premises are not used for political purposes.
School education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Monday, “The government has asked all schools across the state not to organise any political event. We have also sent a show-cause notice to the school where the campaign supporting CAA was held. We want schools to talk about education and health. Schools need to discuss subjects in which students are facing difficulties. There are many other platforms available for politics. Do not play with the young minds.”
The BJP had on Friday organised a talk on CAA at Dayanand Balak Vidyalaya on Bhimani Street in Matunga. “Students were given information about CAA,” said an organiser of the programme from the BJP. Sumita Singh, a leader of the Uttar Bharatiya Morcha and a trustee of the school, who had organised the programme, said, “Students were given postcards pre-addressed to the PM and were encouraged to post them, after writing what they feel about CAA.”
The initiative received a lot of flak from the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies in the state.
An official from the state education department said an education officer will visit the school on Tuesday (January 14) and will submit a detailed report by January 15. “We will verify all details, after which action will be taken,” said the official.
