After villagers of four trial blocks in central Gujarat protested against the closure of 12 residential schools for girls and moving them to an Ashram at Kwant,the state tribal affairs minister finally ordered to stall the move. On Sunday,village representatives met the state Tribal Affairs Minister Mangu Patel and conveyed their discomfort in sending the girls to a different taluka for studies. Following this,Patel ordered that the schools will not be shifted anywhere else and will function as they were before. We had told the minister our apprehensions about the security of the teenaged girls when they are sent far away from their families. The students are comfortable in the village,so the schools can be renovated, said Dinesh Bhil of Naswadi. S M Patel,the project administrator of the Girls Residential School,said: We cant force the decision down the throat of the villagers,so the schools will continue as they are. But since the residential school at Rangpur is already ready with proper infrastructure,we have started enrolments in that school. He added: Over 26 new girls from Pavi Jetpur and Chhota Udepur have taken admission already. Five girls from the older schools had also agreed to shift to Rangpur. So,we have 31 girls right now and the enrolment will continue. We also plan to bring the parents to this school for a visit few months later so that they are tempted to send their girls to this school that has better infrastructure.
