Editor,
During a meeting on Thursday, it was mentioned that of the 72 government schools in Lower Subansiri district, 36 have been closed and an additional 11 have been proposed for closure due to low enrollment, leaving 25 functional schools in the district. In fact, this problem exists not only in Lower Subansiri but in many areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
The government is committed to improving education and has opened a series of government schools, but has neglected enrollment and quality. Some villages have a small number of children, but there are at least two neighbouring schools, resulting in extremely low enrollment rates. A school with many students has one teacher to manage 50 students, while a school with fewer students has one teacher to manage 10 students.
In addition, the large number of schools opened has neglected the construction of school infrastructure. Some schools are just an empty frame, lacking basic facilities such as computers, libraries, stadiums and necessary safety facilities. Some schools are in urgent need of repair and upgrading, and restaurant and dormitory facilities are very simple.
Although opening schools is a good thing, it is more important to focus on fewer but better, as quality is the key. I recommend a comprehensive survey of all government schools in the state and a consolidation of resources.
Avyaan Sharma