Jhapa: Students have urged political parties, caste-based groups and teachers´ associations not to hamper their studies by calling banda every now and then. Demanding that school area be declared banda-free zone, hundreds of students of Five star English School, Dhulabari on Monday participated in a protest.

“Various parties and groups call bandas to press their demands and our studies are disrupted for no reason,” ninth grader Durga Shakya said. “They need to understand that education is our right and they should not deprive us of the right,” she added. “Students should not be dragged into the fight among grown-ups."

Schools in the eastern region have remained closed for the past two weeks due to bandas and agitation by various groups including the Khas community, the teachers themselves and the former Maoist combatants.

The students participating in Monday´s protest took out a silent demonstration with their mouths covered and waving placards that read "let us study".

The process had drawn the attention of school teachers, guardians and even onlookers who were encouraging the children by applauding them. At the same time, ironically, strike enforcers former Maoist combatants were busy intimidating some businessman to close down their shops.

District Education Officer Laxmi Prasad Bhattarai said, "Casual banda and strikes have seriously affected the students´ school life, we all should strongly support the these students for protesting against the banda culture.”

According to the school principal Atma Pradhan the worried students decided to go for protest on their own. “They came to us and said that they were very much upset about the regular closure of school,” Pradhan said. “Sir we should do something against this,” he quoted the students as saying.

source: myrepublica, 5 March 2012