Srinagar: Students of Devki Arya Putri Patshala (DAPP), Wazir Bagh, along with their parents on Tuesday staged a protest sit-in here against the “forced expulsion” of students by the district administration for paving way to building a shopping a complex at the school site.
Shouting slogans “we want justice, don’t play with our future” dozens of 9th and 10th standard students of DAPP and their parents staged a sit-in protest at the main road Wazir Bagh here.
The agitating students alleged that the school administration wants to pull the plug on decades old school for paving way for the construction of a shopping complex. They said that they have been asked to seek admission in other schools as the DAPP building is set to be converted into a multi-storey shopping complex.
“For God’s sake don’t ruin the future of hundreds of students studying in DAPP. Our exams will be held anytime soon and we cannot afford to be expelled at this point of time. We appeal to the administration not to take any such step which may destroy our future,” Munazah, a 10th standard student told reporters.
She said they cannot seek admission in any other school at the moment as they have to obtain a migration certificate from the Board office first, which is functioning only partially due to COVID-19 at the moment.
The protesting students appealed to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and direct the authorities to not take any such move as would destroy the future of hundreds of students of DAPP.
DAPP Principal while lamenting the move said the district administration has shot a letter asking school management to close down the school by 31st of this month. He said the administration’s “anti-student move” will severely affect the academic career of hundreds of students.
“It’s unfortunate that the district administration has directed us to close the school by 31st of this month. I don’t know the purpose for closing down the decades old school, but the move will certainly ruin the future of our students,” he added.
