There are 269 schools in Meghalaya with an official enrolment of fewer than 10 students each.
Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma today said that the low enrolment is alarming and that the government will verify the data, which was released by the Union Ministry of Education, and take necessary steps.
Of the 269, 168 are primary schools and 101 upper primary schools.
Asked if closing down these schools is one of the options, Sangma emphasised that closure is not a solution for most, though in some, if it is feasible, then the department will do so. However, the minister said that an official will visit the schools to verify the report and the next course of action will then be taken.
He added that the government has to understand what the cause of low enrolment is, as it could be due to deficient infrastructure, lack of teachers or some other issues.
When asked about merging of schools that have low student numbers, Sangma stated that it is not possible in all cases because many of these schools are in remote or inaccessible areas.
“Some schools can be situated at the top of a hill with distances of 5 to 10 kilometres away from the next one, so it would be difficult for students to commute every day,” he said.
