Parents of students lock teachers in school to demand upgrade

Parents of some students of a government-run primary school here today locked their teachers inside the building, demanding that it be ungraded to senior secondary level.

The protest come close on the heels of a hunger strike by a group of girls in Rewari, around 80 from here, to pressure authorities to upgrade the school in their village.

The parents alleged that a staff crunch in the school in Khirbi village was affecting studies of their wards and that teachers were irregular in taking classes.

Some of them said the children in the village had no option but to travel to Hodal, Bhiduki and Hassanpur for further studies.

They shouted slogans against the Education Department, alleging that political leaders and authorities paid no heed to their repeated requests for upgrading the school.

District Education Officer Anil Sharma rushed to the scene and assured the protesting parents that there demands will be met.

Sharma said the school will be upgraded as soon as it meets the criteria laid down by the government.

"The department has already started the process of recruiting more teachers for the school," he said.