Nearly 800 private schools in Haryana, including 100 in the city of Gurugram, will remain closed on Tuesday to protest against the harassment by the administration’s school safety committee, and to demand safety measures for school management members, principals, staff and students.
The decision was taken by the association of private schools in the state after the principal of Swami Vivekanand Public School, Yamunanagar, was shot dead by a Class XII student on January 20 this year. The association has also questioned safety inspections which are only being conducted in private schools.
Private school authorities feel that instead of taking steps to ensure safety of teachers and principals in campuses, the administration is trying to attack them.
All members of association of private schools collectively decided to go on strike against this happening and question the administration’s safety policy. The association has questioned safety inspections which are conducted in private schools only.
Private school authorities are of the opinion that in such an environment, teachers and principals in school campuses are feeling the lack of safety and on other hand the administration is trying to attack them in the name of students safety, although schools management are already very sensitive about their students security.
The association is also preparing a memorandum of demands to be sent to the chief minister through the deputy commissioner.
HPSC (Guugram) secretary and Sharda International School vice-chairman, Dipin Rao, said, “We have received repeated threats of arrests, FIRs, de-recognition and takeovers from the regulators. We are, therefore, advocating regulation for safety of the teaching fraternity to protect them against random arrests. I hope the administration understands that security of our staff is important.”
HPSC members have alleged the school safety committee is targeting them for harassment. “The safety committee is auditing only private schools. What about government schools? Also, why have they included cops in the committee? We are being treated like criminals,” said Colonel Singh.