‘Give us goats, herding will be only livelihood option without education’: Children in Maharashtra village oppose closing down of schools

The state government’s decision has led to major opposition across the interiors of Maharashtra as most such schools are located in inaccessible, hilly, rural areas.

Watch | Around 40 children led a march to the zilla parishad office at Igatpuri in Maharashtra’s Nashik district protesting against the state government’s decision to close down schools having less than 20 students pic.twitter.com/2VQn50CWTZ

— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) October 11, 2022

“Darewadi village has been displaced after the construction of the Bham village. Most children going to the zilla parishad school here belong to tribal communities. And the closure of the school means going out of mainstream education as commuting to another school is not an easy task,” said Avinash Madhe, a social activist from Igatpuri. Madhe said the child rights commission is slated to visit the place Tuesday and a protest like this on the same day would help the issue get the required attention.

Earlier, several teachers’ organisations had spoken out in protest against the government move. Teachers said most schools with fewer than 20 students are located in hilly or inaccessible areas and if closed, their students may be shut out from the mainstream education system. Teachers say such schools are spread across the state in almost all districts.

In a letter to the commissioner and director of education, dated September 21, the state government sought details on the process of Samayojan (adjustment of teachers) as well as data on schools with fewer than 20 students, to be submitted to the finance department. It also stated that making teachers’ appointments for a total of 67,755 vacant posts in zilla parishad schools will be a financial burden on the government.