About a month after the Education Department took possession of the building housing Farooqia Girls High School in Lashkar Mohalla in Mysuru, asking the 150 students of the institution to enroll themselves in nearby government high schools, the officials unlocked the premises late on Thursday evening following a direction from the High Court.
The Education Department had taken over the building belonging to the State Government due to a dispute between Rifahul Muslimeen Educational Trust (RMET) that runs Farooqia group of institutions and the State Government. “We have unlocked the premises after the High Court issued an interim order to the effect”, said Ramachandra Raje Urs, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Mysuru.
The decision of the State Government to take possession of the building sparked protests by the students of the school, their parents and others in the first week of July 2022. The protestors received support from leaders of various political parties including Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.
However, former Minister and Narasimharaja Assembly constituency’s Tanveer Sait had found fault with RMET’s management of the school and contended that it had not even applied for the necessary renewal of recognition for the school for the year 2022-23. He advised the students and their parents to join the Nizamia Government Girls’ High School situated in an adjacent building and Government Girls High School in nearby People’s Park.
Mr. Urs told The Hindu that about 60 out of the 150-odd students of Farooqia Girls High School had joined either Nizamia Government Girls High School or Government Girls High School in People’s Park.
However, the RMET has been given time till August 10 to apply for the mandatory recognition for the school by the Education Department for the year 2022-23. With RMET planning to reopen the high school from Monday, it was upto the students and their parents to choose the institution they wish to study in, said an Education Department official. “Out of the four employees in the aided school, there are only two teachers, who will have to handle all the classes. The management will be asked to enlist additional teachers to handle classes and make up for the time lost by holding classes even on Sundays if necessary”, an Education Department official said.
The reopening of Farooqia Girls High School is seen as a setback to Mr. Sait, who had found fault with the management of the school by RMET and asked the students to join other schools in the vicinity in the interest of their future. SDPI leader Abdul Majeed, who visited the school premises on Thursday night, criticised Mr. Sait’s stand on the closure of the school and accused him of failure to stand by the students in their hour of need.
Meanwhile, the dilapidated condition of the school premises had also come into criticism from different sections of the society.
