In the wake of the State Government’s recent decision of closure of Government-run schools with less than five students, around 196 schools in the State have been closed so far in the State.
However, in many cases, it is found that the district administration recommended closure of such without initiating proper survey and necessary consultations. This was opined by speakers at a roundtable consultation on ‘School Closure: Impact and Challenges’ organised by NGO ActionAid in association with the Child Rights Knowledge Hub here on Saturday.
The report of a fact-finding, conducted by the NGO, on the impact of such a decision of the Government on children in some selected schools, was shared at the consultation. The experts said the survey conducted in districts like Rayagarh, Sundargarh, Kandhamal and Ganjam revealed that in 10 to 15 cases, schools having more than five numbers of schools are shut down. Resulting this, children of the tribal areas face a lot of difficulties as they have been asked to shift to other nearby schools which are far from their home, said educationist Mohit Mohanty.
Representatives from various communities, civil societies and also Government representatives participated in the consultation and shared their views on such a crucial decision of the Government and planned future course of action in this direction.
Director of Elementary of Education Chudamani Seth and ActionAid Regional Manager Debabrat Patra also spoke.