the goan I network
PERNEM
At present, there are 70 government Marathi-medium schools with 1,400 students and 21 government-aided private schools with 2,200 students in Pernem taluka.
The three schools that have been shut down are located at Pethechawada-Korgao, Hali-Chandel and Dhargal. There were only three students studying in the Dhargal school. Parents of the children of this school have admitted their wards to a nearby school.
All three schools were running since 1960s. Poor enrollment and dilapidated condition of the building were some of the reasons for the closure of these schools.
An education officer in Pernem said buildings of the three schools will be renovated and handed over to a government department, anganwadi or gymkhana.
Speaking to The Goan, former headmaster of Peter High School at Morjim, Dayanand Mandrekar, said there were different reasons for the closure of these schools in Pernem taluka. “Most parents admit their children to nursery in private schools. How will they admit their children in government schools after nursery,” questioned Mandrekar.
“Second, many government teachers are loaded with other government works like conducting surveys, making it difficult for them to focus on providing quality education in these schools,” he added.
An educationist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, felt that the lack of Balrath facility to children could have deterred parents from sending their children to these government schools.
“The Balrath facility is only for students from Std V to SSC, but some private schools use these buses to transport primary school students as well,” he said.
Raghoba Gawade, a retired teacher from Mandrem, said the government does not have any policy to save government primary schools, adding that parents should also be blamed for the situation.
“Most parents in rural villages feel their children will speak better English if they go to private schools. Besides, uniforms in private schools are fashionable and some parents feel their children would look more attractive in these,” said Gawade.
Added former headmaster of Vidhyaprasarak High School, Vishnu Shetgaonkar: “The government has given too much attention to private schools and has allowed them to function only a few metres from government schools, while also providing them ‘Balrath’ and other facilities,” he added.
