Tripura: 1,000 govt schools closed during BJP rule, education sector in crisis, say student bodies

SFI, DYFI demand resignation of union education minister over NEET paper leak scam

Around 1,000 government schools were closed in Tripura after the BJP came to power in the state, of which 107 were closed during Dr Manik Saha’s term as chief minister, blamed Mayukh Biswas, general secretary of the Students’ Federation of India.

Students Federation of India and Democratic Youth Federation of India today held a protest rally in Agartala in support of their demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the recent NEET paper leak.

Speaking to media, Biswas said that when Biplab Kumar Deb was the state chief minister, around 961 government schools were closed.

Criticising the BJP-led state government, Biswas alleged that the education and employment sectors in the state suffered severely after the saffron party came to power.

“The BJP’s twin-engine government has harmed the state more than it has improved it. Around 107 government schools were closed in the state during Dr Manik Saha’s tenure, while around 961 schools were closed when Biplab Kumar Deb was the chief minister. There is a shortage of teachers in the state and due to lack of employment opportunities, many youth have been forced to leave the state in search of work. Tripura currently has the highest unemployment rate in the country,” Biswas alleged.

Demanding immediate reopening of closed public schools, Biswas also appealed to the government to provide scholarships to financially challenged students.

Biswas also said the state government needs to show greater vision in the matter of youth employment.

Biswas said substance abuse was on the rise in Tripura and appealed to the state government to take strict action to curb drug abuse.

Meanwhile, SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas, while slamming the Centre for cancelling several national-level exams, alleged that under the BJP government, there were over 70 incidents of document leakage in the last 10 years, which cast a shadow over the future of students.

After the recent cancellation of the NEET exam, due to which the Central government was conducting firearms training, Biswas demanded the immediate dissolution of the National Testing Agency and the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

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