Merger move a ploy to close down 800 elementary schools in Punjab: AAP
Terms it as a retrograde step and blatant violation of Right to Free Education RTE Act 2009
By : Babushahi Bureau
Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 06:28 PM

Merger move a ploy to close down 800 elementary schools in Punjab: AAP 

Chandigarh, October 21, 2017: The Leader of Opposition,Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Saturday alleged that the state government was going to close down 800 government primary schools on the pretext of their merger with adjoining schools.
He cited notification issued by Director School Education (Elementary), Punjab according to which 800 government primary schools having less than 20 students on rolls were being closed down across the state.
Khaira termed this as a retrograde step and blatant violation of Right to Free Education RTE Act 2009, for the underprivileged and poor children.
Instead of providing quality free education and increasing the number of schools in Punjab, the Amarinder government's step was gross discrimination with thousands of poor children," he alleged adding that the children of these 800 schools will now have to walk or travel many kilometers o reach their new schools.
"This is gross violation of the RTE Act 2009, wherein a primary school should be situated in a distance less than 1 kilometer. For example small children of GPS Dere Shahpur Peera at Serial No. 458 of the list, will now have to walk or travel 5 kilometers to GPS Jairampur and will have to cross the six lane busy NH-1 of Delhi-Amritsar, besides a railway crossing," said Khaira.
Khaira said he would take up this matter with AAP MLAs and stage protests outside the said 800 primary schools.