Girl blocks road in protest after school van fails to pick her up

BHOPAL: A 10-year-old girl blocked the road for three hours as she missed her class after her school van failed to pick her up. The incident happened at Betul in Madhya Pradesh. The girl of fifth class identified as Surabhi Yadav protested by sitting in the middle of the road with her bag. Transportation came to a standstill following the act.

The police and the education department reached the spot and talked to her. She agreed to end the protest after they assured to talk to the school management. One said she did not yell or cry and only said she wanted to go to school.

‘My daughter got admission under the Right to Education Act. The school authorities did not allow her to attend classes for an entire year. In November, they let her study for just 28 days, but later stopped her again. Today, the school authorities denied her transport facility. My daughter is under a lot of mental stress,’ said the girl’s mother Asha Yadav.

However, the authorities said the van service is provided only to those who pay fees and that the girl's family has not paid the fee for two years despite repeated notices. They alleged that the family itself is not sending her to school.