Schools merged,students stop attending classes

Recently,32 primary schools in Hoshiarpur have been merged with the other primary schools. According to a government policy,if two primary schools are located within a kilometre of each other,then the school that has poor infrastructure and less number of students,can be merged with the bigger one. Also,schools having less than 20 students can be merged with bigger one.

On Monday,to protest against the mergers,parents and panchayat representatives of villages like Ulaha,Nauneetpiur,Reela,Ghamiara and Rasulpur sat on a hungerstrike in front of the District Administrative Complex in Hoshiarpur.

Sarpanch of Ulaha,Baldev Singh,said: “There are around 40 students in my village school. Still,it was merged with another that is located at a distance of around 1 km. Small children cannot walk to the school,as they have to pass the Kandi area,which is full of stray animals. There is no proper road and one has to make way between agricultural fields. We are teaching the children on our own.”

“Most parents are labourers and cannot drop and pick up their children from the school every day,” said Sunita,sarpanch of Nauneetpur. The village school,with 32 students,has been merged with the one in Saidpur.

When contacted,District Education Officer (Elementary) said: “Thirty-two schools have been merged as per the guidelines of the government. Looking at the location of the Kandi area,we have proposed to the government that in Kandi belt,schools with less than 20 students and where two schools are running on the same premise or in an 100-meter area be merged.”

Justifying the merger,he added: “In some schools like in Ganga Chak village,there are just two children. Thus,merger of such schools is justified.”