Closure of over 3 K schools to cause drop-out of hundreds of students

By Mehboob Inamdar

Aurangabad, April 19:

The closure of 3,073 schools in the different parts of the State will cause drop out of hundreds of students. It may be noted the schools were opened even in small villages under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act so that no child is deprived of education. The State Government decided to close the schools which have 20 or less than its strength.

Rajendra Shankarrao Pawar, the deputy secretary of the State Government, issued orders recently announcing travel allowance to 16,334 students of various schools in the State to continue their education. These students are studying in 3,074 schools of the State. With the implementation of the orders, the students will be shifted to other schools and students will get a travel allowance. According to academicians, hundreds of students will become drop-out after the closure of their local schools as most of the parents will not send their children out of town. Nearly 6,000 to 7,000 will stand surplus and will be merge in another school. This means that the recruitment of new teachers may not be conducted with the merger of the teachers. The dream of thousands of students who have been waiting for years to get teaching jobs in Government schools would be shattered.

Commenting on this, State unit general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Urdu Shikshak Sangh Sajid Nisar Ahmed said that hundreds of students would be deprived of education after the closure of the 3,073 schools.

“Parents who struggle to earn two square of meals will not send their children to distant school for education. This will increase drop-out in the State. There will be 7,000 surplus teachers. Also, it will be difficult to start the school against in the villages where existing schools were closed,” he said.

Sajid Ahmed demanded that the Government should reconsider the decision of schools closure.

DTED, B Ed Students Association president Santosh Magar said that this is an act to close doors of learning for poor students and jobs for teachers.

“Opening a school in a village required a long process and strong political support. The Government made an announcement about giving travel allowance. I do not think that it will be sufficient for travelling to another village.

A villager finds difficulties providing meal two times a day to his family. There is no doubt that hundreds of students will give up their schools as their parents cannot afford it,” he added.