Rajasthan Congress marches against govt directive restricting school entry

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP), led by Rajasthan leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully, on Thursday staged a civil disobedience march from a government school in Jaipur towards the Legislative Assembly, protesting a new education department directive restricting entry and photography and videography in government schools.

The protest began at the Government Seth Anandilal Poddar Senior Secondary School for the Deaf and Mute at Trimurti Circle, where Jully, accompanied by Congress MLAs and senior party leaders, arrived to inspect the school’s reportedly poor condition and raise concerns over infrastructure and basic facilities.

However, Congress leaders were stopped at the school’s main gate by police following the implementation of the new directive.

Jully objected to the restrictions and staged a protest outside the school. The entire Congress Legislature Party subsequently joined him, turning the protest into a march towards the Assembly, where the state’s legislative session began on Thursday.

The Opposition has accused the government of using the new restrictions to prevent elected representatives from freely accessing and inspecting government-run schools.

What the new directive says

The education department’s directive restricts unauthorised entry into government schools and requires prior permission for photography and videography on school premises.

Congress leaders have questioned the restrictions, arguing that elected representatives should be able to visit public institutions and assess their functioning, infrastructure and facilities without unnecessary barriers.

The party has also linked its protest to wider concerns about the condition of Rajasthan’s government education system, particularly the availability of basic facilities and the safety of students.

School recently saw student protest

The Poddar School has itself been at the centre of concerns over infrastructure and student welfare in recent weeks.

More than 100 students staged a sit-in outside the institution following an incident in which plaster reportedly fell from a classroom ceiling and struck a student, prompting concerns over the safety of the school building.

The students raised a range of grievances, including poor hostel facilities, inadequate food and sanitation, shortcomings in teaching arrangements and alleged harassment by a staff member.

They also complained about inadequate access to teachers proficient in Indian Sign Language and the poor condition of toilets.

Unable to communicate through speech or hearing, the students used sign language, placards and written messages to convey their demands during the protest.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Jully had earlier visited the school and met the protesting students. Gehlot called for government intervention to address their concerns.

Following the protest, education department officials visited the institution. Chief block education officer Asha Gupta met the students and assured them that their grievances would be addressed.

She also informed them that school principal Bharat Joshi had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

Congress to raise issue in assembly

The Congress has said it will continue to raise education-related issues during the assembly session and demand accountability from the state government over the condition of government schools.

The party is also expected to press its objections to the new restrictions on access, photography and videography, arguing that greater scrutiny — not tighter restrictions — is needed to address shortcomings in public education institutions.

Thursday’s march thus brought together two strands of the Opposition’s campaign: concerns over deteriorating infrastructure and student facilities, and resistance to what Congress leaders describe as restrictions on their ability to inspect and publicly highlight problems in government schools.

With IANS inputs