Move to close railway schools opposed

The Southern Railway administration’s proposed move to shut down Railway Mixed Schools functioning within its jurisdiction next year has met with stiff opposition from the Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU).

The recent circular issued by the railway administration in this regard would adversely affect the future of students studying in the railway schools and the teachers, the union said.

The administration had also asked the Principals of the Railway Mixed Schools to advise parents to shift their wards to other schools in 2019-20 thereby making it clear that the institutions would be closed down.

Opposing the move, a group of railway employees affiliated to the DREU staged a demonstration in front of the divisional office here on Friday condemning the railway administration’s directive to close down the schools.

The demonstration in which a few teachers of the Railway Mixed School at Golden Rock here also took part was led by the DREU divisional secretary G. Kannan.

The Railway Mixed High and Higher Secondary Schools are presently functioning at Golden Rock in Tiruchi, Palakkad, Perambur in Chennai, Arakkonam, Jolarpet, Villupuram, Madurai, Erode and Pothanur.

“The sudden directive from the railway administration to stop fresh intake of wards of railway and non-railway employees in the current academic year (2018-19) and to shift the students to other schools next year (2019-20) has come as a rude shock to parents and teachers alike,” said Mr. Kannan.

The schools have been functioning for several years now and the decision to close it down all of a sudden from next year leaving parents and students distressed is condemnable, said Mr. Kannan.

The decision to shut down the schools has been taken in haste without showing any concern about the future of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, said the union. Securing admission in other schools would prove very difficult especially for parents of those wards who were passing out from eighth to ninth and those from ninth to tenth standard. Further, the change over to other stream would pose a huge challenge to students, Mr. Kannan said.

Although the railway administration has decided to redeploy the teachers, it would be very difficult for them to cope with the new assignment in the railway departments as they had been teaching in the institution, he further said.

The DREU has demanded the railway administration to withdraw the move in the interest of the students and teachers.

Source: TH