Schools see low attendance as buses stay off the road

Mumbai: The attendance in all major schools in the city was low on Wednesday due to the bandh call given by Dalit activists, despite the state education department’s announcement that all the schools would function. Many parents chose not to send their children to school considering the non-availability of bus services. But several others had to send their children to school due to the ongoing exams and were left to fend for themselves since school buses stayed off the roads.  But after a school bus in Chembur was pelted with stones, all schools declared a holiday for the day

Schools in Govandi, Mankhurd, Mulund, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Dahisar east and Malad east remained closed on Tuesday.

“There was a high possibility of clashes in our area and that is the only reason we declared half day on Tuesday and holiday on Wednesday. We cannot risk our students lives,” said a principal of a Ghatkopar-based school and junior college.

School buses in the city too were non-functional which is why students could not reach school even if they wanted to. The 40,000 buses run by the School Bus Owners’ Association (SBOA) did not operate on Wednesday.  However, other private buses or vehicles, which are used to transport the students from home to bus were working in the morning.

But colleges in the city were functional as normal days.