In a bid to draw more children to state-run schools, theKarnatakagovernment is planning to set up a model school in every gram panchayat by merging local schools, where number of new admissions is mostly in single digit currently.
TEACHING and non teaching staff in such low-enrolment schools too will be absorbed into the proposed model schools.
The proposal comes in the wake of calls to create a better academic Environment in government schools.
Statewide data captured by the department of public instruction (DPI) revealed that as many as 3,179 lower primary schools and 219 higher primary schools run by the department have less than 10 students this academic year.
In total, 10,588 schools run by the DPI have up to just 20 students each. The finding has raised a serious question whether these institutions should be continued or merged with the nearest schools.
Schools in the same panchayats where student strength is abysmally low will be merged into one single institution. Funds will be pooled for the new school to add facilities, and to delegate more teachers.