Bhubaneswar: In a significant move, the Odisha government today changed the criteria for schools to be shut in the scheduled area.
The School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash in a statement said schools with student strength less than 15 in tribal areas will be shut. The criteria earlier was less than 25 students. The number of such schools in the State will be around 3,000, Dash added.
Dash further informed that process is on to shut 7,772 schools in the State due to the poor student strength. Less than 40 students have been enrolled at 14,382 schools in the State, he said.
The minister further said
Around Rs 300 crore will be spent on the transportation if students to nearest school after merger.
The State government’s priority is to provide quality education and government is working within the purview of the law, minister said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Government Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said in a statement in the State Assembly that the schools are being merged, not closed.