CALANGUTE/MARGAO, April 8 -- Team Herald

Students from two prominent schools in Calangute -St Joseph's High School and Little Flower of Jesus School - stayed away from classes on Monday, the first day of the new academic year, as part of a boycott called by their respective Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). The boycott continued with many students staying away on the second day. The protest was part of a growing wave of opposition across the Syate to the government's decision to begin the academic calendar from April 7.

At St Joseph's High School, PTA chairperson Marie Fernandes stated that only four students attended classes on Tuesday, down from six on Monday out of a total of 223. "Parents are against sending their children to scho...