Jayalalithaa in jail: 4000 private schools to remain shut on October 7 in protest

Chennai: The Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu (FAPSTN) on Sunday declared that over 4,000 member schools will be closed on October 7 to protest against the four-year jail term for AIADMK supremo Jayalalaithaa in a disproportionate assets case.

But there is confusion among the student community, as many private schools have not declared holiday on October 7; on the other hand, general secretary Prince Gajendra Babu of the State Platform for Common School System has termed the FAPSTN announcement as “illegal because only the government can announce closure of schools”.

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Besides, the postponed quarterly exam in language paper is scheduled to be held on that day.

"Many teachers have complained they would find it difficult to reach the school on Tuesday (Oct 7) as several outfits have announced statewide protests. We need to take into account the safety of the children and teachers. Besides, we also want to register our protest against the judgment of the special court in Karnataka sentencing our former CM for four years" FAPSTN president V. Govindaraju told DC.

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"Parents, students and teachers are confused by the news flash. The government should not allow any individual/group of individuals to take the law into their hands", said Mr Babu, slamming the FAPSTN decision.

When contacted, school education secretary D. Sabitha said she did not want to comment on the issue.