‘Merger may create problems for girls’

GANDHINAGAR: A survey conducted by Gujarat education department found that of 32,772 government schools, 12,000 schools are run by just one or two teachers, and there are 15,171 schools which have less than 100 students.Official records show 8,673 (26% of total schools) government schools have less than 51 students while 6,498 (20%) schools have less than 100 students. In all, 15,171 (46%) government schools have less than 100 students. Most of these schools have up to 10th standard and all classes are run by the same teachers. Reluctance of teachers to go to rural schools is one of the major reasons for the government thinking of taking the step. The state government may gradually close down all schools which have less than 100 students.Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, state education minister said, "To improve the quality of education we have planned to merge nearby schools where students and teachers are very less. Initially we will provide transport facilities to higher standards students and close down classes. Gradually we will close other classes after proper verification."Chudasama added, "The issue is not about saving money. Our aim is to improve quality by providing teachers, better infrastructure. Merger of schools can be a good option to improve quality of education and optimise use of resources. The RTE Act also has provision of providing transportation to take children to nearby schools."Of the current education budget of Rs 27,000 crore in Gujarat the lion’s share goes towards maintaining and running schools that have almost no teachers or students.Parul Sheth, co-founder Shaishav Child Rights NGO says, “The merger may create more problems for girls.” She fears, “The mid-may meal and free education were two reasons why parents send their girls to school. The farther you take the school from them, the more girls will drop out.” She also pointed out that with government schools shutting down private schools will mushroom. “Two decades ago there were 125 government and 70 private schools. Today there are 55 government and 30- plus private schools. Such a mechanism will isolate poor families.”A state education department officer said , “In farflung rural areas especially Kutch, Saurashtra, tribal belt etc., no teacher prefers to serve so the innovative solution we are thinking of is to provide transport facilities to the students of small villages or clusters and shift them to better schools where there are required teachers and other facilities.” Gujarat currently ranks at 10 on the index of Sustainable Development Goals maintained by the Niti Aayog.“Rajasthan has done this by closing some schools and providing transport facilities to better schools. It has improved their quality of education. Now the Gujarat government is thinking of strengthening good schools where teachers are available in sufficient numbers and number of students are high,” the officer said.Pankti Jog, member Agariya Hitrakshak Samiti, said, “In far-flung areas of little Rann of Kutch, class 10 children had to hire an English tuition teacher for the board exams. I feel the government should not wash its hands off its obligatory role towards local community by these proposed school mergers. Health and education are sensitive issues. Also Gujarat witnesses one of the highest internal migrations. Shifting schools may have drastic impact on school enrolment. The community must be taken into confidence before shifting their schools.”Dr Bhavesh Pandya, coordinator at Ravi J Matthai Centre For Educational Innovation at IIM-A says, “If by merging schools the government seeks to improve quality of teaching then it is welcomed as there is a serious dearth of teachers. There are 2.78 lakh teachers for 90 lakh schoolchildren in Gujarat. But my concern is that the government must go to the community before taking decisions.”