A majority of the private schools in Erode district remained closed on Friday in protest against the attack on Anna Arivazhagam School at Pochampalli in Krishnagiri district on September 13.
The district has over 110 private schools. Of them, 83 schools remained closed, responding to the call issued by the State Federation of the Association of Private Schools. A total of 30 schools, however, remained opened in the district as the government had warned of stringent action, education officials said.
Erode District Private Schools Management Association president S. D. Chandrasekaran said that the death of a boy in an accident involving the school bus in Krishnagiri was taken as a pretext for miscreants to attack the Anna Arivazhagam School.
A number of private schools in the State had witnessed similar acts of vandalism by miscreants earlier, he said and urged the State Government to initiate concrete action to prevent attacks on private schools in the future.
Steps should be taken immediately to provide adequate security to the staff and students of the private schools, he urged.
Dharmapuri & Krishnagiri
One third of the total number of matriculation schools in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts remained closed on Friday.
According to J. Venkatesan, Inspector of Matriculation Schools, Salem Region, of the 54 matriculation schools, only 17 schools functioned defying the strike call given by their State federation.
In Krishnagiri, of the 90 matriculation schools only 32 schools functioned.
All the eight government aided high and higher secondary schools functioned normally.
Of the eight self-financing schools, except Anna Arivazhagam School in Pochampalli, others functioned as usual, sources said.