Spiti residents resent denotification of schools with low enrolment

Dipender Manta

Mandi, March 30

Residents of the Spiti valley have resented the criterion fixed by the state government to denotify any school with low student enrolment.

The residents said the population was sparse in Spiti, where one village was situated far away from the other. “Also, the transportation facilities are quite poor. Hence, it is tough for students to go to distant schools for education, if the decision is implemented in the valley,” they added.

The residents further said the state had recently denotified three government schools that were opened by the previous BJP regime in the Spiti block of the Lahaul and Spiti tribal district. These were government primary schools at Tashigang and Todnam and government middle school at Lidang.

“According to the statement of Education Minister Rohit Thakur, primary schools having 10 students will not be shut down. Similarly, the student enrolment limit is 15 for middle schools, 20 for high schools and 25 for senior secondary schools. If the government’s decision is implemented in Spiti, then many schools will come under its ambit,” they added.

Meanwhile, Sonam Dolma, president, All Pradhan Association, Spiti, said, “The closure of local schools on this criterion will prove to be a disaster for the students as well as for their parents. The geographical conditions are tough in the region, which makes access to distant schools difficult for the students. During winter, the region receives heavy snowfall, making it more difficult to go to distant places.”

“Concerned over the government decision, we recently sent a memorandum Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Education Minister Rohit Thakur. We

urged them not to implement the decision in the Spiti block for the welfare of students in this tribal district,” she added.