623 primary, middle schools shut down in Haryana since 2011, reveals RTI reply

Poor enrolment: State govt built only 12 schools in 9 years; elementary edu dept director cites low demand

As many as 623 primary and middle government schools have been shut down in Haryana since October 2011 due to poor enrolment.

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The information was provided by the Haryana school education department in response to an RTI (right to information) query filed by Rewari-based social activist Saket Dhingra.

As per the department, there are 8,687 government primary schools and 2,383 middle schools functional across the state.

“The government has closed 623 schools since October 2011. 124 schools were shut down in 2011, 385 in 2014, 62 in 2018 and 52 in 2019,” the report said.

Dhingra said the closure of 623 government schools since 2011 due to poor enrolment has raised questions on the implementation of the government schemes and programmes to encourage students to join government schools.

“If students are turning away from state-run schools, then why is the government spending crores on mid-day meal schemes, free uniforms, free textbooks and other projects?” he questioned.

As per the RTI report, the Haryana government has built only 12 new schools — six in Rohtak, two in Sonepat, one each in Palwal, Hisar, Yamunanagar and Kaithal — since 2011.

Haryana elementary education department director Pardeep Dagar admits the closure of over 600 government primary and middle schools due to poor enrolment.

“Pupil strength in these schools had dropped below 10 and their students were accommodated in other schools. The government has built fewer schools due to low demand, but we have upgraded many schools over the past few years. The students who were shifted are not facing any problem due to closure of their previous schools,” the director said.

Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh secretary Satbir Goyat said the government schoolchildren were shifting to private schools due to better infrastructure and facilities, resulting in poor enrolment leading to closure of government schools.

“The government schools have performed better in Delhi and Chandigarh due to better infrastructure. In these two union territories, the enrolment and results have improved due to better government policies which lack in Haryana,” he added.

Many parents prefer private schools due to English-medium curriculum and other facilities. “In private schools, every subject has a particular teacher. Whereas in the government primary schools, all subjects are taught by a single teacher, or at times two,” said a parent.

The government should recruit new tech-savvy teachers, provide better infrastructure and facilities like smart classes and computer labs in state-run schools, parents demand.

Blaming lack of government policies for the closure of schools, former Haryana education minister Geeta Bhukkal said, “Students have been opting for private schools over the past few years due to shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure and lack of government’s vision. Due to Covid crisis, over 8 lakh migrant labourers went back to their native villages. Now, more schools will face closure as their children studied in those schools.”