With 2400 students, Indian school in Qatar sends message to parents announcing its closure
About 300 Karnataka students studying in the school face uncertainty over their academic future
Qatar: Doha Modern Indian School, Qatar (DMIS) on Wednesday sent a text messages to the parents of all its students that the current academic year (2019-2020) will be the last operational year of the school. The message urged the parents “to ensure places” for their kids in other schools in Qatar for academic year 2020-2021.
The message triggered confusion and panic among the parents of over 2400 students studying in the school including about 300 students from Karnataka. One of the main reason the parents of the students have expressed concern over the development is that lack of Indian Schools in Qatar. The parents are now worried how more than 2400 students will be accommodated in the limited number of Indian schools with their own limited seats all of a sudden.
Faisal G, a Qatar based Udupi businessman and father of a student studying in school told Vartha Bharati that a WhatsApp group has been created by parents and that they are planning to visit Indian Embassy in Doha and Supreme Education Counsel of Qatar with their grievances.
“It will be a difficult scenario if 2400 students are forced to switch schools altogether. We don’t have many Indian schools in Qatar. How can we expect those schools to accommodate 2400 students.” Faisal who is residing in Qatar from last nine years told Vartha Bharati over phone.
Asked if he contacted any of the officials of the school in person or over phone Faisal added that his attempts to meet Principal of the school did not work as the Principal refused to meet or comment on the issue.
“But I spoke to the PRO and Vice Principal of the school. All they told me was it was management’s decision due to the financial constraints. They did not detail me about the matter” Faisal said.
The message sent by the school however noted that it was “due to unavoidable reasons” that the school was closing.
The full text of message sent by the school to parents read “Dear Parent, We are constrained to inform you that due to unavoidable reasons, the last academic year of the School will be 2019-20 and hence you are requested to ensure places for your kids in other schools in Qatar for the academic year 2020-21. However we shall update you on this matter in the coming days in case of any development otherwise. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused to you and this message is sent to you as an advance intimation.”
The parents of students studying in class 9 and 11 are left into a jeopardy as the students are registered with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and they have to complete their academics under CBSE. With no other options left, the last hope for the parents of these students lies in their visits to Indian Embassy in Doha and their meeting with Supreme Education Counsel of Qatar.
Despite attempts of Vartha Bharati to contact officials of the school, they remained unavailable to comment on the matter.
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Jai Bhim: Slogan that energised Dalits was first given at this central Maharashtra village
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.
The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.
Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.
Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.
"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.
"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.
As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.
The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.
"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.
"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.
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