Dhangadi, September 2

As Kailali continues to suffocate due to the unusually long bandh that has raged for the past three weeks, schoolchildren have been left at the receiving end.

Educational institutions across the district have been closed since August 6 due to the general strike called back to back first by the intact far-west agitation mobilisation committee and later by the Tharuhat/Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee.

With this, around 186,000 students of various government and private schools have been forced to stay at home, which has further added to the woes of parents and school authorities.

“It’s been almost one month that the schools have been shut due to the agitation. Earlier, in the beginning of the session, they were closed owing to the massive earthquake.” said Jagannath Jora, principal of the Shaileshwori Boarding School in Dhangadi.

“We were already running behind in catching up with the course of study as the schools were closed due to the earthquake and the recent strikes have added to our woes as there are still no signs of the strike ending any time soon and schools reopening,” the principal added.

Bhuwan Shahi, a guardian from Shivanagar, Dhangadi, flayed the agitators for failing to recognise educational institutions as peace zone as they had earlier pledged. “Political parties might benefit, but what about the future of the kids who have been prevented from attending schools?” asked Shahi, while local student union leaders too rued the closure of schools.

“We’d arranged a meeting between the agitating side and the administration about keeping schools open during strike, but the Tikapur incident has worsened the situation,” said NC-aligned Nepal Student Union Kailali Chair Binaya Lama.

Kailali Acting District Education Officer Mansingh Bista said “We’re planning to form a committee to hold discussion with the agitating side.”

Ever since the Tharu agitators killed eight police personnel, including a senior police officer and a two-year-old kid on August 24, Tikapur municipality and the adjoining 10 VDCs have been declared riot-hit zones and curfew has been clamped.