Odisha: Girls Oppose Merger of Their School with Boys' School

A sit-in protest took place recently as girl students and their parents from a local school expressed strong opposition to the state government's decision. They were protesting against the merger of their school with a boys' school, leading to a tense situation. During the agitation, at least five students from Unit-9 Government Girls High School fainted, requiring immediate medical attention. Fortunately, their condition was later reported as stable.

The state government's plan was to merge Unit-9 Girls High School with Unit-9 Boys High School to accommodate and relocate Rama Devi Women's Junior College. To implement this decision, the Director of Higher Secondary School, Odisha, sent a letter to the School & Mass Education Special Secretary regarding the separation of infrastructure from Rama Devi Women's University.

The merger was planned in phases. In the first phase, the Arts and Commerce streams would be shifted to Unit-9 Government Girls' High School, while science students would continue their classes at Rama Devi Women's University due to the lack of proper laboratory facilities for science education at the girls' school.

Opposition to the merger was strong, with Congress leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray supporting the girls' agitation. He emphasized the historical significance of the girls' high school and argued against its merger, citing the vision of former Chief Minister Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab, who established the school to encourage girls to pursue education.

During the protest, Bhubaneswar Block Education Officer, Pragyan Paramita Jena, attempted to convince the students and parents to accept the merger. However, her appeal was met with rejection from the agitators, who were resolute in their stand. Jena promised to convey the students' opinion to the government before leaving the site.