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.
