410 schools with less than five students may be shut
Students To Be Admitted To Nearby Institutions
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:08.12.2019
The school education department has in this academic year, following a statewide enumeration, identified 410 schools with less than five students and is likely to close them and merge them with nearby institutions next year.
As per the department’s direction, chief educational officers have identified alternate schools for the 2,000-odd students. “They will be provided with transport facilities to the nearest schools in the next academic year. Providing transport incur less expenditure than running these schools,” an official said.
The government is also considering to temporarily close these schools and open when there are enough students. “A decision of merging these schools will be taken only in next academic year,” another official said.
School education minister K A Sengottaiyan recently said the government was spending more than ₹10 lakh each on schools with less than five students and ordered chief education officers to collect details.
While TN has 24,321 government primary schools, the number of schools with less than 10 students rose from 1,238 last year to 1,531 this year. This academic year, 50 schools with nil students were converted into libraries.
“Declining child birth and lack of basic amenities like classrooms and teachers are major factors for reducing students’ strength. Further, studying in private schools have become a status symbol,” a government school teacher said.
A city school headmaster called for a long term plan to develop government schools. “If the government provides a proper school in the neighbourhood with five class rooms, five subject teachers and non-teaching staff, functioning toilet, playground and transportation, student strength will improve. They should think of developing potential schools like a five-year plan,” he said.
Another headmaster said the government should stop freebies and ensure schools with more students have at least five teachers. “Parents are not willing to admit children in two-teacher or one teacher schools.”
“It has become a vicious circle where the government reduces teachers for lack of student strength and students migrate for lack of teachers...,” said educationist Prince Gajendrababu. “Instead of merger of schools, the government should evolve a plan to attract more students. They should try out a model by providing all facilities in one government school per block.”
Students To Be Admitted To Nearby Institutions
Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com
Chennai:08.12.2019
The school education department has in this academic year, following a statewide enumeration, identified 410 schools with less than five students and is likely to close them and merge them with nearby institutions next year.
As per the department’s direction, chief educational officers have identified alternate schools for the 2,000-odd students. “They will be provided with transport facilities to the nearest schools in the next academic year. Providing transport incur less expenditure than running these schools,” an official said.
The government is also considering to temporarily close these schools and open when there are enough students. “A decision of merging these schools will be taken only in next academic year,” another official said.
School education minister K A Sengottaiyan recently said the government was spending more than ₹10 lakh each on schools with less than five students and ordered chief education officers to collect details.
While TN has 24,321 government primary schools, the number of schools with less than 10 students rose from 1,238 last year to 1,531 this year. This academic year, 50 schools with nil students were converted into libraries.
“Declining child birth and lack of basic amenities like classrooms and teachers are major factors for reducing students’ strength. Further, studying in private schools have become a status symbol,” a government school teacher said.
A city school headmaster called for a long term plan to develop government schools. “If the government provides a proper school in the neighbourhood with five class rooms, five subject teachers and non-teaching staff, functioning toilet, playground and transportation, student strength will improve. They should think of developing potential schools like a five-year plan,” he said.
Another headmaster said the government should stop freebies and ensure schools with more students have at least five teachers. “Parents are not willing to admit children in two-teacher or one teacher schools.”
“It has become a vicious circle where the government reduces teachers for lack of student strength and students migrate for lack of teachers...,” said educationist Prince Gajendrababu. “Instead of merger of schools, the government should evolve a plan to attract more students. They should try out a model by providing all facilities in one government school per block.”
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