Gurgaon: Facing resistance from the teachers over closure of schools with an enrolment status of less than 10 students, the education department has decided to give an opportunity to these schools to reassess the possibilities of reopening the schools.
Directorate of school education has decided to reconsider its decision to shut down all the schools that have less than 10 students enrolled in them.
The department has asked the gram panchayats and villagers to raise the request for reopening the schools that were decided to be shut down or merged with the nearest government school.
The district education department has been asked to prepare a report on the status of all such schools and the ones that can be reopened.
The officials, however, will have to assure that the enrolment status of these schools will be improved in this academic year.
“The department has received few requests to reassess its plan to shut down or merge.
These schools had less than 10 students and we wanted to rationalise our resources.
However, if the villagers want the schools to be operational, they can send their requests to the respective district education department.
If the overall enrolment in these schools can be increased to over 25 students, then we can consider reopening them,” said an official.
The move comes after villagers, with the support of government school teachers, demanded the schools that are within the 1 km radius of the villages should not be shut down.
Last month, the education department had decided to close down over 40 primary schools in the state that have less than 10 students enrolled in them.
Additionally, orders were issued to merge around 175 primary and 51 middle schools having student enrolment less than 25 with the nearest state-run schools.
Department has termed this as a regular rationalisation exercise to maximize the utilization of their resources.