Mumbai: The Badlapur school, which was caught in the middle of a statewide outrage over the alleged sexual abuse of two preschoolers, resumed classes on Saturday. It has more than 12,000 students, from nursery to post-graduation, and many parents are worried that their education is being interrupted.
After being shut for four days following a violent agitation that damaged part of the school building, the state-appointed administrator allowed the reopening of grades 5 to 12, with the lower classes set to start on Monday. Although the attendance was relatively low, the school remained functional for the entire duration of morning and afternoon shifts.
According to a senior teacher at the institute, after the administrator informed the school authorities about the decision to resume classes around 10.00pm on Friday, parents were asked to send their children to school the next day. The staff faced no hiccups during the day as all classes were held according to the usual timetable.
“The attendance was around 25% in classes 9 to 12, which are held in the morning shift, while 30 to 40% students in classes 5-8, held in afternoon shift, came to school. This is because the morning shift students might have missed the message sent late at night. Besides, most of our students hail from rural areas, with poor internet connectivity and electric supply,” said the teacher.
The teacher also said that they sought to boost the morale of students after the harrowing few days in the aftermath of alleged molestation and protests. “While they are continuously exposed to the happenings on TV, they didn't seem particularly affected. Every class teacher was asked to address the apprehensions among students and tell them that there's no need to worry,” said the teacher.
Meanwhile, Kunda Pandit, Deputy Education Officer at Thane district and the government-appointed administrator, said that she is working to ensure that the schools' surveillance cameras, which were not working when the alleged abuse happened in the school's washroom on August 13, are being activated. “We have sought the police's permission to start the school to its full capacity,” she told FPJ.
Pandit held meetings with the school leaders and staff and urged them to not get bogged down by the turn of events. “The administrator told us that she is on our side, comparing the situation to that of a family coming together after a brief crisis,” said the teacher.
The school hopes that more students will join their classes on Monday. “We had to cancel unit tests of all classes, which were to begin a day after the agitation,” said the teacher.
The school is also planning to hold a formal meeting with parents on Monday to alleviate their concerns. “Small groups of parents have been coming to school and meeting the principal and vice principal. We are trying to remove their doubts,” said the teacher.
