Darjeeling

Kurseong

Students of Loreto Convent go back home on Wednesday morning and (below) police on guard outside St Helen’s in Kurseong. Pictures by Suman Tamang and Vivek Singh

Darjeeling/Kurseong, May 13: Loreto Convent, Darjeeling, could not hold classes today as students were turned away by the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha which had called for the closure of the institution for 48 hours to protest the school’s failure to attend a meeting to resolve the fee hike issue.

In Kurseong, no students were seen outside St Helen’s Secondary School — another institution which bore the Vidyarthi Morcha’s fury today — where teachers had reported for duty.

The meeting to discuss the fee hike had been called at Gymkhana Club by the students’ front of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha yesterday. While St Augustine’s School and St Joseph’s Convent from Kalimpong were present along with Vidya Vikas Academy and Bethany from Darjeeling, Loreto Convent and St Helen’s had stayed away from the meeting. Angered by their absence, the Vidyarthi Morcha had decided to shut down Loreto and St Helen’s for 48 hours.

By 7am, posters reading “stop and withdraw the unnecessary fee hike” had been strung up in front of Loreto along with the Morcha party flags. Half-an-hour later, when students started coming to the school, Vidyarthi Morcha members turned them away.

The teachers were, however, allowed to enter the institution but with no students present, the school was forced to shut down. Most parents accompanying the students remained silent spectators. Only one guardian in his mid-40s had gone up to the picketers — there were around 5-10 of them — and told them that “you should not close the school”.

A Morcha flag was planted in front of St Helen’s around 8.30am. No students were seen. Later, members of the Vidyarthi Morcha held a close door meeting with the school authorities. Sources said the authorities had apologised for not attending yesterday’s meeting.

“The school authorities will speak to their superiors and parents within a week and take a decision on the fee hike,” said Sonam Lama, the president of the Vidyarthi Morcha in Kurseong.

Despite several attempts the school principal could not be contacted. However Lama said: “We want the fees to increase by 20 per cent and not 45 per cent.”

In Darjeeling, Keshav Raj Pokhrel, the general secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha, said: “We had repeatedly invited the schools for the meeting and even called them over the phone. We had wanted a permanent solution to emerge but since they stayed away it is up to the institutions to take the initiative to end the impasse.”

An employee of Loreto argued that principal Sister Teresa McGinchey was out of station and hence could not attend the meeting.

Justifying the fee hike, Sister Geraldine from Loreto, said: “Our fee structure is the bare minimum. We do not charge security deposits and our annual fees are also low. Given the recent hike in teachers’ salaries, we had to raise the fees and this was done across the state.”

The Loreto Sisters, who follow the order of the Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary, run 11 educational institutes, including Loreto College, Calcutta. They reasoned that the school was always helping the needy. “We give many students free education meals and dresses, but we never publicise them,” said Sister Geraldine.

“We have nothing to say. It is a pity that the children are suffering,” she added. The student strength in the school is around 1,300 and the tuition fees in the convent has been hike from Rs 1,000 to 1,400 per month.

On behalf of the Heads of Anglo-Association Schools of Darjeeling District, Father Kinley Tshering appealed to the students’ front not to take hasty decisions. “I would ask the students to sit for more talks and refrain from taking any hasty decisions,” said Father Tshering who is also the rector of St Joseph’s School (North Point), Darjeeling.

A section of guardians had complained against the fee hike to the Morcha. But most of them are against shutting down institutions. “Whatever the reason, the students should not be made to suffer for no fault of theirs. The matter must be resolved amicably between the institution heads and the students’ front without hampering education,” said a guardian in Darjeeling.

Asked about the closure of two prominent schools, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said over the phone: “We are on our way to Darjeeling. Once we get there, we will see how the issue can be solved.” Giri, along with Morcha president Bimal Gurung, was in north India to campaign for BJP candidates in areas where there is a large presence of Nepali speaking people.

Even as the direct interference by the Morcha central committee is being seen as the only way to end the impasse, some guardians are of the view that political parties should not be directly involved in issues related to education. “Political parties should only act as facilitators and bring the two parties to the tables. The final decision must be left to the guardians and the school managements,” said another guardian.