Bhubaneswar: Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the state govt for the submission of a factual report related to the closure of classes VI and VII in a school located near Mancheswar railway colony. Human rights activist Pradipta Nayak filed a petition on Friday, urging the commission to urgently hear the matter for the sake of the future of 130 students studing in the two classes. The commission took cognisance of the matter.
An article related to the closure of classes and the plight of students was published in TOI on Friday. “This school was catering to the needs of the children of poor slum dwellers, including rickshaw pullers and daily wagers. With classes stopped, parents will now face difficulty sending their kids to other govt schools, 3km away from the railway colony school. It is violating the human rights of these children,” said Nayak.
The commission stated that the petition, along with newspaper clippings, needs to be sent to the secretary of the school and mass education department, Khurda district collector, and the district education officer, Khurda, to look into the matter and furnish the factual report within 15 days. The next hearing will be conducted on May 9, said the commission.
On Thursday, locals, including parents of children studying in class VI and VII, staged protest demanding the immediate resumption of classes. Inside the railway colony school, there is a primary school (from classes I to V) run by the govt, an upper primary school (for classes VI and VII) aided by the govt, and a high school run by a private body. After the superannuation of the teachers in the upper primary school, the govt closed the classes from April 1.