Pune: Jog School Abruptly Closes, Displacing Underprivileged Students
Kothrud, 13th April 2024: In December 2023, School Director Amol Jog announced the phased closure of PB Jog Primary English Medium School in Mayur Colony, Kothrud, as well as schools at Sinhagad Road over two years. However, the schools have been abruptly shut down, leaving underprivileged children who benefited from RTE reservations without educational options. This is a significant issue as Pune city has limited English medium and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) course schools, making it difficult for these students to find suitable alternatives.
The affected parents submitted a written statement to the Education Commissioner Suraj D. Mandhare, and on 5th March, Education Officer Sanjay Naikade approved the adjustment of students to vacant seats in nearby private unaided schools. Despite this decision, parents have been struggling to receive proper action and support from the CBSE and various authorities.
The sudden school closures in the central part of the city have had a major impact on the students and financially challenged parents. Parents and representatives from the Aam Aadmi Party/AAP Parents Union recently visited Education Commissioner Suraj Mandhare to address the severity of the situation.
After facing delays in implementation, parents met with District Education Officer Sanjay Naikade to insist on immediate data collection regarding vacant RTE seats in other English medium schools. Naikade assured the parents that adjustments would be made on April 23 and 24 after examining the statistics on vacancies.
Mukund Kirdat emphasized that the abrupt closure of schools poses a serious threat to educational privatization, causing significant losses for children, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. He stressed that education is a government responsibility, calling for the establishment of quality schools with comprehensive facilities to support all students.
