172 primary schools in Goa face closure

A government primary school with less than 15 students admitted to its fold, faces temporary closure according to the state's directorate of Education(DoE). The DoE has in the meanwhile planned to absorb these students of such schools in the neighbouring primary schools. The enforcement of this decision is expected to be made within a month.

According to the DoE the low enrolment in some of the government schools entails a low quality of education as the state is unable to provide additional teachers and other such facilities. However schools located in areas which do not have other schools nearby are expected to continue.

The measure adopted to close the schools is however of a temporary nature and if the number of students from the area increase in number, the schools are scheduled to re-open from the next academic year. The closure and re-opening of schools being a cumbersome procedure, the schools will remain as operational institutions on paper.

The DoE had earlier informed the PTAs (Parent  Teacher Associations) of the 172 schools about the dwindling numbers and had urged them to encourage more registrations in a bid to keep them open. However the PTAs were unable to show the desired results and the eventual decision had to be made.

The decision has however not gone well with all the PTAs as they believe that now with this enforcement, the students will be compelled to travel longer distances if they are shifted to other schools. The department of Education (DoE) has therefore made some arrangements for transport in certain cases of long travel.

The Doe has compiled data of the number of schools in each taluka with enrolment between 1 and 10 students and is as follows
Pernem - 8 schools
Sattari  - 7 schools
Bicholim  - 5 schools
Bardez  - 3 schools
Salcete  - 4 schools
Quepem  - 12 schools
Mormugao  - 2 schools
Canacona - 7 schools
Tiswadi - 3 schools

The data for the number of Schools taluka wise with enrolment between 11 to 15 students are as below

Pernem - 13 schools
Sattari  - 14schools
Bicholim  - 13 schools
Bardez  - 10 schools
Salcete  - 9 schools
Quepem  - 6 schools
Mormugao  - 4 schools
Canacona - 12 schools
Tiswadi - 5 schools
Ponda - 15 schools
Sanguem - 20 schools

In the meanwhile the DoE is planning to provide raincoats to the students of class I and III while providing exercise books to the students of class II, III and IV studying in the government primary as well as grant-in aid schools. The disbursement of the raincoats and exercise books is expected to be done through coupons and the headmasters/principals of the respective schools will collect the coupons from the regional offices of the education department and the coupons will be exchanged for raincoats and exercise books, at the notified shops.

A total of around 9650 primary students in Goa are expected to benefit out of the raincoat scheme while over 11,680 Goan students would receive exercise books under the plan.