47 govt primary schools shut since 2021, House told

Porvorim: Since 2021-22, 47 govt primary schools have closed down across Goa due to low enrolment, chief minister Pramod Sawant has said in his reply tabled in the assembly. The reply shows that of these 47 schools, 26 had a very long history, having been made operational prior to Goa’s Liberation or immediately thereafter. Data showed that nearly all of these 47 schools had been functioning as single-teacher schools during their closure.

The Govt Primary School No 2 in Baina, Vasco, for instance, had a student strength of 10, but yet sanctioned strength of only one teacher. Similarly, the Govt Primary School, Devgi, Chodan, had nine students at the time of its closure, but there was a lone teacher teaching students from Class I to IV. This is even as the CM had said earlier that govt will make efforts to revive govt primary schools with nil enrolment.

The data shows that Govt Primary School, Sangolda, which had been operational since 1926 was forced to shut down with a student strength of only four in 2022-23.

Govt Primary School in Chandor, Salcete, had also opened way back in 1931, but closed down during the current academic year with only two students.

The highest number—12 schools—shut down in Canacona, followed by eight in Bicholim taluka in recent years.

Today the number of operational govt primary schools has come down to 694. Until around a decade ago, there were close to 1,000 govt primary schools operational in the state. There are another 100-odd such state-run schools with an enrolment below 10, indicating they could also be heading towards closure.