Jaipur, Aug. 25 -- Schoolchildren across Rajasthan have increasingly taken to protests over the past month, demanding teachers, better buildings and basic facilities, signalling what educationists describe as an emerging wave of Gen Alpha-led activism in the state. The protests have surfaced across Bikaner, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Jalore, Barmer, Banswara, Bharatpur, and other districts, often producing quick administrative responses. Most recently, 69 girl students of a residential Sainik School in Bikaner took mass leave and protested at the collectorate on Sunday, alleging that they had not received uniforms four months after the school opened and that facilities for physical and military training were lacking. The most prominent protest came at Jaipur's Poddar School for students with hearing and speech impairments on August 5 over poor hostel conditions, inadequate facilities and alleged harassment. The government suspended the principal the same day. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot later visited the students, while Congress marched from the school towards the Assembly on August 20. Elsewhere, on August 13 and 14, students of Government Higher Secondary School in Jodhawas, Thanagaji, Alwar, staged a two-day sit-in on the school premises. CJP activists subsequently reached the school, following which the administration gave written assurances on the students' demands. The protests have acquired greater significance amid a controversy over the Rajasthan Education Department's recent order restricting unauthorised entry by outsiders into government schools. Educationists and political leaders see an important distinction between the recent Gen-Z mobilisation and the protests now emerging among younger schoolchildren. While Gen-Z protests have largely involved urban, middle- and upper-middle-class students mobilising around competitive examinations and higher education, several of Rajasthan's recent school protests have involved children from rural areas, government schools and relatively disadvantaged backgrounds. Rajeev Gupta, a former Rajasthan University professor and senior sociologist, described the phenomenon through what he termed the "reference group model" - younger students observing how an older generation mobilises and adopting similar methods to raise their own concerns. According to Gupta, there is also a significant social difference between the two waves. Recent Gen-Z mobilisation around NEET, paper leaks and higher education largely involved students from middle- and upper-middle-class backgrounds, while the latest protests have emerged from government schools, including those in rural areas. "The Gen-Z movement began with issues such as the NEET paper leak and higher education. These are issues with which middle- and upper-middle-class families are more closely connected," Gupta said. "But there are no universities in villages. There are few colleges and, in many places, barely adequate higher secondary schools," he said. "Gen Alpha has watched the Gen-Z protests through social media and has now begun speaking up for its own schools." The protests have also begun drawing political attention. Rajasthan Congress general secretary and spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said the protests showed that younger people were increasingly willing to question governments on everyday issues. Meanwhile, Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) founder and MP Rajkumar Roat accused the government of trying to suppress the protests. "The government has threatened action against heads of schools where children are protesting, but the children will not be silenced," he told HT. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief and MP Hanuman Beniwal, meanwhile, blamed both the BJP and Congress for problems in the education system. "This is a generation that learned to use smartphones before they even lost their baby teeth," Beniwal told HT. "They know what is happening around them, in crime, healthcare and education. When they see no improvement, they learn to fight for their rights." However, the BJP believes that through dialogue, the party will be able to connect with the new generation. Rajasthan BJP chief spokesperson Ramlal Sharmas aid, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to express their demands, whether they are Gen G or Gen Alpha."...