Protests force school re-admission

SNS, Kurseong, 19 July 2013: Finally, the authority of the Daughters of the Cross decided to re-admit the two orphan students in the school run under their guidance and provide them shelter. 

The decision was taken after efforts and protests by the students and several organisations. Demanding that the two children should be taken back to the home and their school, the Janmukti Secondary Teachers Organisation (JSTO) and Vidhayarthi Morcha staged an agitation in front of the St. Joseph’s Girls School in Kurseong. 

At the same time, supporting their demand, the school students under the directive of the JSTO also organised a protest rally in the premises of Kurseong town. 

They also demonstrated in front of the Kurseong Sub-divisional Office for hours, in heavy rainfall. 

Later, a meeting was held at a hostel at St. Mary’s Hill in Kurseong among the Kurseong SDO, GTA member, JSTO, Vidhyarthi Morcha and the authority of the Daughters of the Cross, in which, after a long discussion, the school authority decided to re-admit the two students and arranged a home for them, run by an organisation, based in St. Mary’s Hill which already accommodates at least 16 inmates of the closed St. Margaret’s Home. 

Notably, St. Joseph’s Girls School in Kurseong is run under the guidance of the Daughters of the Cross which had recently issued and given transfer certificates to the two homeless students of the school in the middle of the year. 

These two students were orphans and had been staying at the St. Margaret’s Home which has been closed by the authority from this month, reportedly for reconstruction. 

Protest and discussions have settled the issue finally for some of the students. 

However, no shelter has yet been sorted out for the others who have been sent to their broken family homes.