1 hr ago
Government to Assess Unused Assets at 933 Empty Schools
The government says 933 aided schools have no students and have been unused for years.
These schools still have buildings, land and other facilities.
The education department plans to transfer these assets to the state government.
Committees led by district magistrates will inspect each school.
They will check the buildings, land, basic services and local needs.
Some schools might be used again if students can return.
Others could become training, health, animal-care or community centres.
The education minister said the government is not currently planning to give the schools to private businesses.
The issue is connected to a wider discussion about merging schools that do not have enough students.
Assets including land and buildings at 933 government-aided schools with zero enrolment will be handed to the state government.
A district-level verification process will assess each school’s infrastructure, condition, amenities and potential alternative uses.
Possible uses include training centres, health centres, veterinary or livestock facilities, and community services.
School Education Minister Dipak Barman said there are no current plans to use the schools under a public-private partnership model.
Officials will determine whether each school can be revived or converted, amid earlier proposals to merge schools with inadequate enrolment.
- Who
- The school education department, School Education Minister Dipak Barman and district-level committees are involved.
- What
- The assets of 933 government-aided schools with zero student enrolment will be assessed and handed to the state government for possible alternative use.
- Where
- The affected schools are in the state, with many reportedly located in urban areas including Calcutta.
- When
- The announcement was made on Monday; the schools reportedly have had no students for the past 20 years. A related order was issued on Wednesday.
- Why
- The schools have failed to attract students, leaving their infrastructure unused, while the government considers whether to revive them, merge them or convert them for other public purposes.
Government and Department Position
Critics and Alternative Concerns
How to handle empty schools
Government and Department Position
The government says unused buildings and land should be assessed and potentially repurposed according to local public needs, while some schools may be revived or merged.
Critics and Alternative Concerns
The earlier proposal to merge schools triggered protests, with the Trinamool government accused of weakening the publicly funded school education system.
Private-sector involvement
Government and Department Position
Dipak Barman said the government has not considered transferring the schools to private businesses through a public-private partnership.
Critics and Alternative Concerns
The government’s move led to speculation that the properties could eventually be handed to private businesses under a PPP model.
Reasons for low enrolment
Government and Department Position
Education officials say some urban parents prefer English-medium schools over Bengali-medium government-aided institutions, contributing to low enrolment.
Critics and Alternative Concerns
Opponents of school closures argue that decisions about merging or repurposing schools could further reduce access to public-funded education.
Key facts
- Affected schools
- 933 government-aided schools with zero student enrolment
- Unused period
- The schools have reportedly failed to attract students for the past 20 years
- Assets involved
- Land, buildings and other physical infrastructure
- Assessment authority
- District committees headed by district magistrates
- Possible uses
- Training centres, health centres, veterinary or livestock facilities, and community or public-service facilities
- Revival decision
- Committees must state whether each school can be revived or should become an alternative facility
- PPP position
- Dipak Barman said no school has joined the public-private partnership model and no such plan is currently being considered
Quotes
Dipak Barman
West Bengal school education minister
“No school has joined the PPP model. We have not thought about introducing the model. The 933 schools are at the primary (Classes I to V), upper primary (Classes VI to VIII), secondary (Classes IX and X) and higher secondary (Classes XI and XII) levels. These schools have not been able to attract any student over the past 20 years. These schools had to be closed because of the absence of students”
telegraphindia.com
“We will hand over the assets of these schools to the government. Let the government decide. Primarily, we have plans to use the unused infrastructure for an inter-departmental exchange”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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