Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
As many as 3,997 primary schools in Jammu and Kashmir were clubbed or merged with other schools during 2022-23, while no primary school has been clubbed or merged during the subsequent three years, the Government has informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The disclosure was made by the School Education Department in response to an unstarred question raised by Hiranagar MLA Vijay Kumar, seeking details regarding the clubbing and closure of primary schools, the status of free and compulsory education and the implementation of provisions meant to support children from economically weaker sections.
According to the Government, the large-scale clubbing or merger of primary schools took place during the 2022-23 academic year. However, the department clarified that no primary school has been clubbed or merged during the three years following that period.
The Government also informed the House that Primary School Nalla Thanger in Zone Sallan was closed on account of zero enrolment.
The department, however, maintained that the closure did not deprive any child of the right to free and compulsory education.
Responding to concerns over the impact of school closures and mergers on access to education, the Government said no child had been deprived of free and compulsory education because of the closure of any school.
It said education in government schools is completely free and compulsory for children in the age group of six to 14 years.
The Government further stated that students enrolled in government schools are provided essential educational support, including free textbooks, uniforms and mid-day meals.
Poor students are also provided other necessary requirements through the Red Cross Fund, the department said.
The response comes amid continuing scrutiny of school infrastructure, enrolment patterns and access to elementary education, particularly in areas where schools have low or zero enrolment.
The School Education Department also addressed the issue of educational access for children belonging to economically weaker sections.
It said private schools are legally required under the Right to Education Act, 2009, to reserve 25 per cent of entry-level seats for children belonging to poor and economically weaker sections.
However, the Government acknowledged that the provision has not been fully implemented.
The response highlights the gap between the statutory provision and its implementation in private schools, even as the Government maintains that children studying in government schools receive education and several basic facilities free of cost.
On whether schools that were closed, clubbed or merged would be reopened, the Government said there was no automatic provision for reopening such institutions.
Instead, proposals for opening or reopening schools are examined on the basis of prescribed criteria, including population norms, enrolment, distance between schools, availability of infrastructure and manpower, and local requirements.
The department said any proposal for reopening a school, wherever warranted, would be examined and processed in accordance with the prescribed norms and subject to the availability of resources.
This means that requests for reopening schools would have to be assessed on the basis of local educational requirements rather than solely on the basis of their previous existence.
The Government’s response places enrolment at the centre of decisions concerning the continuation or reopening of primary schools.
The closure of Primary School Nalla Thanger in Zone Sallan due to zero enrolment is one such example cited in the Assembly reply.
At the same time, the department’s assurance that no primary school has been clubbed or merged during the subsequent three years indicates that the large-scale exercise reported for 2022-23 has not been repeated during that period.
The Government has also linked any future decision on school expansion or reopening to the availability of infrastructure and manpower, along with population and distance norms.
The disclosure is significant in the context of the Government’s continuing efforts to rationalise the school education system while ensuring that children retain access to elementary education.
While school clubbing or merger can be considered in cases of very low enrolment, the process can also raise concerns about accessibility, particularly where students have to travel greater distances to attend school. The Government’s response, however, maintains that decisions on opening or reopening institutions are assessed against prescribed norms and local requirements.
The department has also stressed that no child has been deprived of free and compulsory education as a result of school closures.
The figures placed before the Assembly provide a picture of the scale of school clubbing and merger during 2022-23, while the absence of such mergers in the following three years marks a change in the pattern.
With decisions on reopening linked to enrolment, population, distance, infrastructure, manpower and available resources, the issue is likely to remain closely connected with the Government’s broader management of the school education network across Jammu and Kashmir.
