Gen Alpha protest in Bhopal: Regional School students oppose Kendriya Vidyalaya merger
Students of the Regional School in Bhopal protested against the proposed merger of the Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS) with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS). India Today and Mathrubhumi reported the demonstration on August 18 and August 19. India Today described it as a "Gen Alpha" protest by students outside the school.
The students said the merger could undermine the institution's original purpose of promoting educational innovation and experimentation. They said the Demonstration Multipurpose Schools, also known as Regional Schools, have functioned under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) since December 1965. Four such experimental schools were established in Bhopal, Ajmer, Mysuru and Bhubaneswar.
Students and members associated with the school said bringing the institutions under a different administrative structure could affect their distinctive identity. They argued it could also hurt the academic experiments for which the schools were established. Mathrubhumi reported the students raised slogans demanding that the institution retain its existing character.
After the demonstration, the students submitted a memorandum to Regional College principal Professor S K Gupta. Both reports said the memorandum formally placed their objections and demands on record. India Today reported the protesters demanded that the merger decision be withdrawn.
They said the existing system of experimental schools should be retained and the institutions strengthened as centres for educational innovation and research. India Today reported the students warned of a phased agitation if their demands were not considered soon. They said they would continue peaceful demonstrations and take their concerns to the authorities.
Mathrubhumi said the protest came at a time of wider student unrest and noted the CJP-led protests from June to July. It said those protests culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. India Today said the protest marked the beginning of opposition in Bhopal to the proposed merger.
India Today accompanied its report with a video of the protest, using screen grabs of students launching the protest against the merger. Mathrubhumi published a visual showing the protest by students in Bhopal. The reports did not specify a timeline for the proposed merger or name the grades that would be affected.
(With inputs from PTI)
