In Bihar, 1,140 government primary schools are on the verge of closure. Due to the poor infrastructure and quality of education provided in government schools, parents are forced to shift their children to private schools. The government is planning to close down these primary schools as a result of the low enrolment numbers.
According to a Hindustan Times report, there are no students in as many as 13 schools, while another 171 schools have fewer than 20 students and a total of 1,140 schools have fewer than 40 students. Moreover, 1,773 schools in Bihar do not have buildings, and the government plans to merge these with nearby schools with infrastructure. In fact, out of 1,773 schools, 190 in Patna district which existed without buildings have been merged.
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The enrolment in government schools dropped from 1.99 crore in 2016-17 to 1.8 crore in 2017-18, according to Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE), the official database on schools in India, maintained by National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA).
An education department official told HT, “If the incentives (such as scholarships, bicycles) attached with government schools are removed, the number will drop further. Many students get admitted to government schools to avail incentives but study in private schools. In 2011, when reports on inflated enrolments surfaced, it created a flutter.”
Speaking to HT, Bihar Education Project Council (BSEPC) director Sanjay Singh said that since the Right to Education Act prescribes a govt primary school (grade 1-5) within one kilometre, provided there are 40 students in each school, the schools might shut down if the number drops further. “If that is not the case, teachers can be used elsewhere more effectively. Having 3-4 teachers for fewer than 40 children is not relevant.”