Minister calls for a collective effort to revive enrolment in primary schools

KUSH HANG LEEWANG

GEYZING,:  Buildings & Housing minister Bhim Hang Limboo on Wednesday expressed concern over dwindling enrolment in the government-run primary schools.

Recently, the State Education department had decided to close down 97 government primary schools that failed to meet the quota of enrolment as per the norms.

Addressing a programme here, Bhim Hang underlined that the drop in enrollment in the government primary schools might have been either due to low birth rate in the State or preference of private institutions over the government-run schools on the part of parents.

Calling Education department's decision of closing down 97 primary schools across Sikkim a necessary step, the Buildings & Housing minister maintained that the schools with remarkably low enrollment resulted in misuse of human resources and waste of public money. He expressed that in order to improve and increase enrollment in the government schools, there should be a collective participation of Education department, schools, parents and the locals.  

Bhim Hang was addressing the school inauguration-cum-annual day event organized by Sakyong government senior secondary school.

The minister added that despite the best efforts by the State government to bring about necessary improvement regarding rapid decline in enrollment scenario in government primary schools, the Education department was compelled to make a strong decision of closing down the schools having a low enrollment.

"The best and skilled educators have been deployed in the government schools and improved educational infrastructural facilities have been ensured. More than 100 primary schools were facilitated with new school buildings under the present State government. Declining enrollment rate in the government run schools remains a cause of serious concern that endangers the very existence of government primary schools. We need to tackle this problem at the earliest through collective participation of all,” Bhim Hang said.

He asserted that students from the schools that would be closed would be accommodated in other nearby schools.

Bhim Hang also shared that a model educational institution would be set up in Sikkim soon where the quality educational facilities would be provided to the meritorious students.

Earlier, the area MLA inaugurated an eight-roomed school building constructed by the Education department.

As part of the annual day event, the school distributed annual report cards to the students. The students who fared well in the examination were awarded with prizes by the school.