The Navhind Times: Ponda-Goa: Sunday, August 13, 2017.
The curtain
has been coming down on government primary schools in state, and most of these
schools have Marathi as medium of instruction.
Ponda taluka has recorded highest number of closure of government
primary schools in the recent past.
In the last
five years, 29 government primary
schools with Marathi as medium of instruction have closed down in the taluka.
And the sad state of affairs for the government primary schools is that in the
taluka there are 21 schools which have 10 students, or less than that.
Government
figures obtained through a RTI plea from the ADEI Ponda say that during the
academic year 2012-13 there were 140 government primary schools in the taluka,
and out which nine schools closed down during 2013-14, bringing down the number
to 131.
The situation
worsened during the academic year 2014-15 as four more government primary
schools closed down, while 2015-16 saw the closure of seven schools. Six schools shut shop in
2016-17 and curtains have come down on three government primary schools in
2017-18.
In effect, in
the last five years, 29 government primary schools with Marathi as medium of
instruction have closed down in the taluka.
Interestingly
out of the existing 111 government primary schools in the taluka, 21 schools
have 10 students, or less than that. And to cap it all, no new students have
been enrolled in six government primary schools for this academic year.
Moreover,
only one student each has been admitted in 11 primary schools of the taluka for
the ongoing academic year.
At present,
around 3158 students are studying in the 111 government primary schools in the
taluka. Of these 3158 students, 1581 are boys and 1577 are girls.
The
government primary schools in the taluka with 10 or less number of students
are: GPS Ponda Centre in Urdu medium
has six students; GPS Chirpute Bandora (4 students); GPS Unir Bandora (8);
GPS Paniwada Borim (9); GPS Tishe
Borim (6); GPS Khajorda Borim (6); GPS Murdi Khandepar (8);
GPS Dhutole Marcaim (8); GPS
Hanso Marcaim (7) and GPS Parampoi Marcaim has six students.
The other
schools which have negligible student enrolment are: GPS Konse Bethoda (6); GPS Ghano Savoi (6);
GPS Barbhat Shiroda (5); GPS
Karmane Dongar Shiroda (7); GPS Paz Shiroda (10); GPS Sakre Shiroda (10); GPS
Shiroda centre (10); GPS Tariwada
Shiroda (7); GPS
Mudai Panchwadi (7); GPS Kaswada
Talauli (4) and GPS Talauli has six
students.