Closure of govt schools in Arunachal: Govt comes in for severe criticism

ITANAGAR, February 5: The closure of all government schools across the State including 36 in the capital complex by the ruling Congress Government has came in for a sharp criticism and resentment from various quarters including the political parties in this Himalayan State. The State Government in an order issued on January 31, closed these schools indefinitely on the ground that students of these schools had participated in the 36-hour All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union-sponsored bandhs from January 24 last. In the same order, the Government also banned the stipends of the students with immediate effect. The AAPSU had given the bandh after the ruling Congress Government in the State allegedly failed to implement the October 2, agreement between the AAPSU and the State Government. The State Government was to provide Rs 100 crore to Department of Education for development of basic infrastructure facilities, 100 per cent job reservation policy in all categories for APST and subsequent holding of examinations for recruitment of junior doctors, reduction of sales tax, deletion of Yobin from Scheduled Tribes lists, re-concentration of Tibetan refugees to their camps, solutions to long-pending Chakma and Hajong refugee imbroglio and gross influx of Bangladeshi infiltrators in the State. The State unit BJP described the closure of schools by the Government as "unfortunate" by saying that this shows the complete mismanagement by the government in handling the "law-and-order situation" in the State. "When the nation is talking of education for all, the Congress Government is closing the schools and thereby depriving the fundamental rights of the children," Kangir Jamoh told this correspondent today in an interview. The State BJP chief party asked the State Government to "withdraw the closure orders with immediate effect or face the public outcry." Expressing serious concern over the issue, Arunachal Teachers Association urged the AAPSU and the State Government to come to the negotiation table to hammer out the solution to this effect as early as possible in view of the forthcoming CBSE examinations to be held in early part of March this year. This is the peak hour of the school calendar. When Government spokesman and the IPR Minister Takam Sanjoy was contacted to know whether the government is contemplating to review its decision, he refused to comment on the issue by saying "no comment".