'Assam schools are not shut but merged'; Ministers slam Delhi CM for remark on school closure

NEW DELHI: After the Assam government’s decision to close 34 government schools in the state drew sharp criticism, the state education minister Ranoj Pegu clarified that these schools are not being shut but are being merged depending on the enrolment. The state government’s move to shut schools came after poor results in Assam Class 10 exams this year.

“Closing schools is not the solution. We just need to open many new schools all over the country. Instead of closing the school, improve the school and make education right,” Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. A section of Twitter users also compared Delhi education model with Assam while strongly criticizing the state government’s move.

Assam minister Piyush Hazarika slammed the Delhi CM for his comment on the decision and said, “The AAP education model has demolished Delhi’s education system,bringing down Class 10 pass % from 99.09% in 2011 to 81.27% in 2022! The great model schools of Delhi stand poorly in all aspects as compared to Puducherry! Kejriwal ji should visit Assam rather to learn.”

He further clarified that “Firstly,schools in Assam are not being closed,rather amalgamated to improve the overall educational environment!”

“Secondly,respected CM Arvind Kejriwal ji have no rights to speak on educational upliftment as his fake ‘Delhi Model Schools’ have been busted from time to time,” he said.

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Seconding the minister, Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu informed that “In Assam, schools are not being closed down but amalgamated or merged, depending upon the school’s enrolment and distance.”

The Assam government has opened 97 vernacular medium Model Schools in Tea Garden areas and 13 new English medium Adarsha Vidyalayas this year, he claimed.

Ranoj Pegu had in July told PTI that the state witnessed a steady rise in student enrolment in government schools during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to financial stress on the families.

According to the Times of India report, a senior official said, “A decision has been taken to close government-run schools that had a pass percentage of zero. But considering the future of students studying in these schools, they will be given a chance to get enrolled in nearby high school.”

This year, the Assam Class 10 recorded an overall pass percentage of 56.49%. 36.61% drop from previous year pass percent of 93.10%.