Faced with a daunting task of dealing with sharp reduction in student strength in the Government schools of the State, the education department is planning to start English medium residential schools in areas where the student strength is very less. In the initial stages, the department would provide only the day boarding facility in these schools.
The department initially planned to start English medium residential schools in the inaccessible areas of the State under the name Rajiv Gandhi Abhinav Residential schools and had plans to open one such school in all the 95 blocks of the State. After feasibility study, the department, however, changed its plans and is now planning to start day boarding schools initially. If the day boarding schools are successful, then these schools would be converted to full residential schools.
The Primary Education Director RK Kunwar informed The Pioneer that these schools would be opened in remote and inaccessible areas where the feasibility of opening a normal primary school is not there and two such schools one each in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions would initially start on pilot basis. Kunwar said that on the lines of pilot schools one such school in every district would be opened in all districts in the second phase and in third phase one such school in every block of state would be opened. These schools would also cater the dropouts and the students of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs). The aim of the department is to provide quality education on the lines of the Kendriya Vidhyalayas (KVs).
These day boarding schools would be English medium and students of class I to class VIII would study here. The timing of these schools would be from 8 am-4 pm and the Government would provide transport and escort facilities to the students.
One of prime reason to start these schools is the rising drop outs from the primary schools of the State. The data reveals 23 schools of State are having a student enrollment of less than 10 similarly 5607 government schools of the state have student strength of 11-20. Experts believe that the Government intends to close the schools with very less student strength and transfer the students in the day boarding or residential schools.
RSS opposes Govt’s ‘anti-teacher policies’
The Rajkeeya Shikshak Sangh (RSS) continued with its rotational dharna outside the education directorate here. On Monday, the teachers of Tehri district staged their protest. The Sangh is protesting against the alleged anti-teacher policies of the State Government and is working on the strategy of rotational agitation by its different district units. The district unit of Dehradun staged the Dharna on Saturday while the teachers of Haridwar expressed their protest on Sunday. Addressing teachers of Tehri on Monday, the President of Sangh Karnel Singh said that the agitation would continue till all the demands of teachers are accepted by the Government. The District President of RSS Tehri, RS Rana said that the teachers of deprived of benefit of Assured Career Progression (ACP), while other State Government employees get this benefit. He demanded that the Government should immediately fill the vacant 700 posts of Principals by promotions. The agitated teachers are also demanding that the State Government should cancel the transfers of 99 teachers which the department did in the name of attachment in gross violation of the norms.