Primary teachers association protest closure of low enrolment schools

Nagpur: On Monday, Maharashtra Rajya Prathmik Shikshak Samiti (MRPSS) held a statewide protest to press their demand for appointment of more than one teacher in local-body schools having less than 20 students, so that quality of education does not suffer. As per rules, govt approves one teacher for 20-plus students, something which could have led to closure of over 350 schools (Class 6-8) in Nagpur district alone, but then a recent govt decision permitted to appoint at least one teacher in such schools. While this has put off their closure, MRPSS has demanded that at least three teachers should be appointed in a school.
Liladhar Thakre, district president of MRPSS said "If there is just one teacher for Class 6-8, then how will he/she teach language, math, science and social science. We have so many teachers in Nagpur district who have been marked as ‘surplus', and they can be accommodated in these schools."
He said the government is responsible for ensuring implementation of the law. Thakre said "The biggest law of the land is that no one can be denied their fundamental rights. One of these rights is the right of a child to have an education. If citing low enrolment, local body schools are shut down then where will these students go."
MRPSS members say local-body schools are like the last refuge for parents. Thakre said "Parents are mostly those who are surviving on a day-to-day basis. They cannot afford to send their kids anywhere. Now if we shut down the only local-body school in a village, citing low enrollment then such kids will fall out of the education system." He added that MRPSS is committed to ensuring quality of education for all students in their own village, and by providing qualified teachers.