The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday protested the closure of Corporation schools, at the Ripon Buildings.
About 500 members of the party, including the student and women’s wings, demanded that schools that were closed and those unused schools that are being converted into shelters be reopened.
“In the period from 2002 to 2011, 54 schools have been shut down citing the falling number of students. The student strength decreasing in the government schools is directly related to the number of private schools increasing in recent years,” said G. Ramakrishnan, CPI (M) state secretary.
“Schools had nearly 55 lakh students. This number has come down to less than 38 lakh. But those at private schools have gone beyond the 50-lakh mark,” he added.
According to Corporation officials, shelters for homeless were announced only in schools that have not been used for the past several years. “This is Corporation property being used for its other projects,” a senior official said.
