2 min readAhmedabadJun 30, 2013 02:18 AM IST
First published on: Jun 30, 2013 at 02:18 AM IST
At least 34 Urdu schools run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation School Board have “disappeared” over the last five years. The school board records show that the number of Urdu medium schools have come down from 196 to 162 in five years. And this year the board merged three Urdu schools with Gujarati medium because of “administrative reasons”.
Raikhad Urdu School No. 4 has been merged into Raikhad Gujarati School No. 24 with effect from June 26,2013. Similarly,Dariapur Urdu School No. 4 has been merged into Dariapur Gujarati School No. 16. Again,Sheherkotda Urdu School No. 2 has been merged into the Gujarati School on the same premises.
The Urdu students were being told by teachers to switch to Gujarati medium schools “because there is no future for those studying in Urdu medium”,said a Urdu medium teacher.
“This is clearly against the provisions of Right to Education Act,which do not permit merger of any two schools teaching in different media of instruction,” a teacher said on condition of anonymity.
AMC school board administrative officer L D Desai said,“Only three schools have been merged so far this year as per the RTE Rules.” However,he admitted that “there are schools which are overcrowded in localities like Vatva”.
“There is shortage of rooms in the Vatva school and we will add at least four more class rooms,” he said. The mergers were not for targeting any language but to ensure “better administration and management”,he added.
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