Girls end strike for school upgrade
Rewari students did not want to shift to another school fearing harassment
Chandigarh, May 17: The striking girl students in Rewari’s Gothda Tappa Dahina village on Wednesday ended their stir after the Haryana government announced that their school would be upgraded to senior secondary level.
A principal has been deputed in the Government High School at the village and the admission process commences on Thursday, education minister Ram Bilas Sharma said in a press conference on Thursday.
The group of 86 girls of Class IX and X had gone on an indefinite strike, which lasted for over a week, demanding upgradation of the school in their village, saying they would face harassment and even molestation while travelling to the senior secondary school three km away.
Thirteen of them had sat on a hunger strike. The health of many of the fasting girls had also deteriorated.
Despite Sharma assuring on Monday that the school would be upgraded, the students had continued with the stir, saying that until they received official word from the government, they would not relent.
With news pouring in that the government had issued the formal notification, there were scenes of jubilation as the girls called off the stir.
Officials of the Rewari district administration and those from the education department offered a glass of juice to the girls who were on hunger strike.
“We are happy that our efforts have yielded fruit,” said a beaming girl student who had sat on fast.
For higher education after Class X, girls of the village had to go to Kanwali village, located 3 km from Gothra Tappa Dahina, village head Suresh Chauhan said.