Kendrapara: The state government’s move to merge schools with low student strength brought about by the merger of 217 schools in this district has posed an uncanny threat to the upcoming panchayat elections in the district, a report said.
Guardians opposing the move have drawn the attention of the district administration as well as their respective sarpanchs and local MLAs several times but their pleas are yet to be addressed.
However, the public representatives have failed to stop the implementation of the government order to assuage the feelings of their constituents. Guardians are not interested to send their children to schools far off from their residence.
Moreover, the merger has thrown up some surprises as boys have been admitted to girls’ schools. As many as three high schools, four upper primary schools and 210 primary schools have been merged with their nearest schools.
The move has left the guardians furious and upset, which the political observers apprehend that it might influence the outcome of panchayat elections.
Observers said the move was implemented in haste without addressing the socio-economic problems in the region and without taking care of the electoral arithmetic, which may influence the outcome of the panchayat elections.
A resident Niranjan Parida of Kansar village said that from class1 till high school students hardly have any touch with the outside world as they study in schools close to their villages.
However, the district administration on the pretext of low student strength has merged 217 schools with nearby schools which are around 2 to 5 kilometre in distance from their previous schools. He said that small children have been mostly affected by this move.
Children in the age group of 10 are mostly innocent. A guardian sending them to the new schools is fraught with thoughts of serious risk due to regular movement of vehicles and movement of stray cattle and animals.
Moreover, the district has many rivers and creeks and many areas lack a good road and often it involves travelling across the river to reach the schools.
As a result, guardians and parents prefer to keep their children at home instead of sending them to new schools, he said. Pramod Kumar Das of Marshaghai said that the merger has forced boys to study in Government Girls’ High School in Marshaghai.
However, the name of the school still remains the same.
The certificates of the boys passing out HSC examination from this school mention the name of the school as Government Girls’ High School, Marshaghai which is quite awkward for the boys and their guardians for obvious reasons.
Jagdish Pati of Tepur village said that the residents and guardians tried their best to stop the school merger but in vain.
This has sparked anger and tension among them and this simmering anger might get reflected in the upcoming panchayat elections.
PNN