100 schools face closure notice

JAGATSINGHPUR: Faced with abysmally low student enrolment, 100 primary schools in the district are all set to be closed from the current academic year.

While 27 schools were closed in 2016-2017 and 35 in 2017-2018, the School and Mass Education department has served closure notices to 100 schools, including some British-era institutions. The Government Primary School at Savamul village in Jagatsinghpur block, which was established in 1900, is one among them. 

However, the villagers have opposed the move stating that dalit students are reading in the school and there is no educational institution within one km radius in the area. Similarly, Patenigaon Special School, which was set up in 1943, will be closed.

Sarpanch of Savamul Panchayat Kanaklata Das said, “Though the department has served closure notice to the primary school, we are running the institution with the intervention of Orissa High Court for larger interest of dalit community.”

Enrolment of students in Government primary schools has been declined considerably from 1.37 lakh in 2010-11 to 91,822 in 2016-17, exposing the poor functioning of education system in the district. In 12 primary schools at Paradip, students’ strength has declined from 4,200 to only 940 between 2010-11 and 2016-17.

Locals alleged that mushrooming of private schools, delay in supply of free uniforms and textbooks, rise of crimes against minor girls, supply of sub-standard mid-day meals (MDM) and shortage of teachers in primary schools have hit enrolment in Government schools. A minimum 20 students are required to run a Government primary school but students’ strength is manipulated in order to avoid closure of the schools.
District Project Coordinator of Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan (SSA) Sapan Kumar Jena said of total 162 identified schools, 62 have already been merged with nearby schools. Rest 100 schools will be merged by July 31 after conducting a survey, he added.