PANJIM: There is a considerable drop in the enrollment ratio at the primary level for the academic year 2019-20 compared to the previous year but only ten government run primary schools were shut during that period as against 13 in 2018-19.
“Total 92 numbers of Govt. Primary Schools are closed for last 5 years due to less enrolment,” the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said in information furnished before the State Legislative Assembly. Majority of them were situated in Ponda, Bardez, Salcete, Pernem and Tiswadi. Of these, 19 schools were shut in 2015-16, while the number increased to 20 in 2016-17. The year 2017-18 saw the maximum number of 30 schools shutting down due to poor enrollment. However, since then, there has been drop in the trend.
From 13 schools shutting doors in 2018-19, despite a high number of enrollments, the year 2019-20 saw ten schools becoming non-functional.
State has around 742 government primary schools in operation, out of which 119 schools has got total enrollment from Class I to IV, below ten students.
As per the Central government’s review on the enrollment, Goa’s gross enrollment ratio (GER) shown drop for the academic year 2019-20. The GER for primary level was at 99.1 as against 100.9 during 2018-19.
GER is the number of children enrolled in schools from the total population eligible for going schools in the respective age bracket.
