ZP school shutdown: Sule says lives of underprivileged children at stake, Tawde’s throws ‘SSC curveball’

The government had decided to shutdown around 1,300 schools a few months ago, citing reduced enrolment and poor education standards.

Calling for a proper report to be produced on the issue of shutting down of more than 1,300 Zilla Parishad-run schools in the state, Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, on Monday, questioned state education minister Vinod Tawde’s recent comment of “false propaganda”.

Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, on Monday, questioned the government’s decision to shutdown 1,300 Zilla Parishad-run schools. (HT FILE PHOTO)

She stated that the party would continue to protest against such decisions of the state government that can threaten the future of hundreds of students.

“As opposed as we are to minister Tawde’s comment, we have never politicised education, but question the decision that can put lives of hundreds of children at stake. These false claims only exhibit the failure of the government to produce concrete evidence to justify the shutdown,” said Sule.

Soon after Sule's press conference, Tawde reacted by issuing a media statement stating, "In the tuition of Baramati, ‘dada’ and ‘tai’ teach how to draw water through corruption in dam construction.I do not need a Pawar school. For me, SSC board is enough. This board teaches honesty."

Sule, during the press conference in Pune, said that under the RTE Act, the government is required to seek approval of the villagers before shutting down schools and that the newly merged schools need to be within one-to-three km distance of homes, both which were violated by the government.

According to the Act, schools need to be a one km walking distance from the habitation of a child at the primary level (Class 1 to 5) and within a three km walking distance for upper primary level (class 6 to 8).