Tabish Rafiq Mir
Srinagar
The parents of the students of Delhi Public School Thursday held a protest demonstration against the school authorities for compelling their wards to attend the schools during strikes.
The protesting parents said that the DPS authorities on Wednesday November 30 sent an SMS to the parents intimating them to send their wards to school from Saturday, 3rd December.
Pertinently, the Delhi Public School has already given the question and answer papers for the second term examinations to the parents, for the exams to be conducted at their respective homes.
“During strikes it is impossible to send our ward to the school. The situation doesn’t permit us to do so,” the parents said, adding, “It is absolutely ridiculous on part of the DPS administration.”
The protesting parents claimed that no security against stone-pelting was ensured to the students travelling in the buses.
They said that their wards will not be secure since the buses are likely to come under stone pelting attacks.
“Who will ensure the safety of our wards since stone pelting incidents take place,” the aggrieved parents asked.
The parents said that they talked to the Chairman of the school, Vijay Dhar.
Quoting Dhar the parents said that he didn’t give any valid reason for calling the students to the school. “The students are being called to school to play.”
The angry parents said that Dhar disrespectfully talked to them and ordered us to stay with the school’s decision and that no changes are going to be made. “How can we send our children when we know they will be unsafe under present circumstances?”
Talking to Kashmir life over phone, the DPS administration claimed that there is no compulsion for the students to attend the classes, and that this call is purely optional.
An official of the school said, “The students are being called to attend the school for mentoring and recreation.”
RESPONSE:
As a parent I fully understand he has some personal agenda. He (Vijay Dhar) is again doing it to “fight separatist programme” while making our children scapegoats. We cannot risk our children. We pleaded before him not to risk our children. There is no fun in calling students when we have received Question Papers of Final Term which all the students have to attend at homes. By announcing this arbitrary decision that seems to be loaded with “political agenda” and he is risking lives of children for the sake of reasons best known to DPS Chairman and Principal Ms Kusam Warikoo. There is no rationale in bringing children who still are in their present old classes while as per state govt order all other schools adopted mass promotion and such schools attend to the students with new books and new curriculum thereby giving enjoyment and satisfaction to the children and parents.
Here, our children are still with the burden of present old classes and Final Term Exams. Children are innocent and unaware of the fate they may face (God forbid) if some untoward incident happens. Secondly, the children have been distracted from the examination mindset they need to adopt for completing Question Papers that will decide their grade and promotion to next classes.
The school buses near police stations will be under the gaze of police and para military force personnel. If stone pelting occurs, there will be pellets, PAVA and tear smoke shells, we can’t rule out firearm.
We desire separatists give full relaxation in shutdown and we will prefer winter schooling to compensate losses. We already pay winter fees, transport upto January month, heating charges, etc. We assure Mr Dhar that we will fill up DPS coffers with extra money but please don’t distract innocent children and don’t make them scapegoats to settle your “Own Agenda”. We are unaware of that but we somehow understand the same. One of the parents in the group revealed his child was injured when DPS bus came under attack in 2010.
Mr Dhar was so arrogant and non challant in his conversation with a large educated parent group comprising of mothers of many children that he left the room while disrespecting all of us. He said “no problem let you not send your children, we can’t change decision”. Yes, he does whatever he has been wishing. We have been fattening DPS coffers with whatever the administration ordered since admission of our children.
So, he rules us. Never ever the school admin has taken majority of the parents into confidence in any matter. Their (parents) feedback in writing or verbal goes into dust bin and remains unheard.
We have been obeying the administration like anything and paying all the fees and transport charges and other dues and Education Department never touches him for violating the norms. Mr Dhar and Ms Warikoo seems to be so powerful.
Reasons best known to the same department headed by Mr Naeem Akhtar.
TARIQ