400 DMS Students Protest Proposed KVS Merger In Bhopal, Demand School Retain Separate Identity

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - An estimated 300 to 400 students from the Regional School (DMS) staged a protest in the city on Tuesday, vehemently opposing the proposed merger with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and advocating for the school to retain its unique identity. The demonstration saw students ranging from Gen Z to Gen Alpha join forces, carrying banners bearing the message "Save DMS."

The protesters submitted a memorandum to the Regional Institute of Education (RIE) principal, Prof SK Gupta, urging the continuation of the school in its current form. They explicitly warned that further skirmishes in their protest would ensue if their grievances remained unaddressed. Dressed in posters with the phrase "Save DMS," the students sought to preserve the school's distinct academic identity and experimental character.

The primary demand from both students and parents is that the Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS), also known as Regional School, should not be merged with KVS. They have requested clarification from authorities on the impact of the proposed merger on the school's existing academic structure, students, teachers, and admission system.

Parents, who participated in the protest, expressed concerns over the admission system in KVs, which follows a priority-based system. They questioned the clarity on how the merger might affect existing students' or future admission opportunities for children from regular families. The Regional School, also known as Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS), currently houses around 1,000 students from nursery to Class 12 and offers vocational courses.

The school has been established as an educational laboratory under NCERT to foster educational innovation and experimentation. Bhopal hosts four such schools - DMS in Bhopal, Ajmer, Mysuru, and Bhubaneswar.