Team Herald
PORVORIM: While stating that the number of student enrolment in government run schools has witnessed a sharp increase in last three years, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday assured the State Legislative Assembly that government will not close down any of its primary schools even if there is one student, or if no alternative school for amalgamation is available within one kilometre radius.
Parrikar, who also holds education portfolio, said the government will undertake survey of all those educational buildings which are lying vacant or unused before proposing an action plan for the same following allegation about anti-social activities taking place at the premises.
“The closure of government run primary schools is mainly due to a drop in students. These are mostly Konkani and Marathi schools as parents opt for English medium schools and hence there is drop out,” Chief Minister said adding ‘parents are looking for quality education for their children’.
“Hence, we are trying to work out a mechanism to improve the quality of government schools. We need to introduce quality education and we are working on it,” Parrikar said in a reply to a question raised by Congress Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues, who raised apprehension about increasing number of schools being closed down.
Parrikar said the government does not intend to close any government primary schools but mostly go for amalgamation, in case where the student enrolment is less than 10 per school. “However, now I assure this house that no schools will be close down even if the number of students in the entire school is just one, unless there is an alternative school available within one kilometre radius,” he said.
“It is a different case that behind one student we will have to spend almost Rs 45,000 salary to one teacher,” he commented.
