School consolidation: Center asks states to identify districts for school consolidation pilot | Bangalore News

Bengaluru: The Union Ministry of School Education and Literacy, which plans to pilot a project on consolidation of small schools, has written to states to identify a district each for the purpose. In a letter, the ministry said school consolidation is necessary to achieve the mandatory gross enrollment ratio (GER) of 100% from preschool to secondary school by 2030. In many states, schools are divided into several categories such as primary (1-5), upper primary (1-8), secondary (1-10; 6-10; and 9-10) and upper secondary (1-12; 6-12, 9-12; and 11 -12). Thus, at least 89% of students end up changing schools at least three times. Not only is this tedious, but it also leads to dropouts, the ministry noted. The retention rate could reach 100% in schools with grades 1 to 12, compared to 44% in those with fewer grades, the letter notes. Citing countries like the United States and China where they use a consolidated model, the letter points out that this leads to better utilization of resources and therefore a better teaching and learning environment. At least 19 states have more than 10 categories of schools. States with a higher concentration of small schools face larger infrastructure deficits, inadequate instructional materials, fewer teachers, and higher dropout rates. He also took note of declining fertility rates and population growth, which are resulting in shrinking class sizes. The ministry has now asked states to conduct a mapping exercise to identify a district each by July 15. Thus, the pilot project will take place in 36 districts of the country. country. A larger school complex on the outskirts of the smaller ones will be identified. This will ensure that students in all schools will have access to additional classrooms, laboratories and other infrastructure. School consolidation has always been a sensitive subject in Karnataka as it is associated with school closures. Past attempts have been met with stiff resistance, even as educators have emphasized the benefits of merging schools. The Center also explained a step-by-step process to implement the project. After a thorough study of the local situation, potential schools should be identified and community consultations should be held. The impact of the merger must be studied. AS Seetharamu, former faculty member of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), said mergers are important to ensure holistic education. “Schools are not only a place of education and knowledge. It is a place of fun, excitement, education, learning, social life, emotional development and holistic growth. All this will only be possible in a school complex that meets all standards such as adequate infrastructure and has qualified teachers in accordance with the prescribed student-teacher ratio, among others. It is not economically viable to run smaller schools,” he said.