Pupils refuse to leave

6th January 2012

A school in Bytom has witnessed 2012’s first ‘sit-in’ protest, after over 100 students refused to leave the premises over council plans to sell the building and move classes to another school.

According to reports by TVN24, the act was supported by parents and local residents who helped out by supplying the children with various items such as blankets and food.

The protest began on Monday and continued on until Thursday, with teachers coming in during the day to give lessons before leaving again in the evening.

But despite all the support, Bytom’s Vice President Halina Bieda was quick to remind everybody involved that what they were doing was in fact illegal.

“Students staying in school for that length of time after classes have finished is against the law,” she stated, adding that regardless of the situation, teachers were to continue lessons as per usual.

On Thursday the city council held meetings to discuss the future of the school, however as yet no final decision has been made over the issue and parents and pupils alike have been left waiting further information.

Whether the sit-in protest will affect any decisions made by the council is not yet clear, but when asked about the meeting Ms Bieda commented that there is a possibility that the school may yet remain active.

“Until we decide either way, there is still a chance,” she said.

If the original plans go ahead, a total of 941 students from 35 different classes will be forced to relocate to new schools - a move which the council states will save around PLN 2 mln in building maintenance, repairs, modernisation and teachers’ salaries.