Kolkata: Bengal’s school education department is mulling utilising the infrastructure of zero-enrolment schools for alternative public use, while keeping open the option for their revival.
School education minister Dipak Barman said: “We conducted inspections across 4,133 zero-enrolment schools and found that only 400 of them are govt-aided, while the rest are private schools. We have told them to update their UDISE data by Dec; otherwise, they will not be permitted to be listed on the portal.”
It was found that as many as 19,502 teachers are listed against these schools.
Around 400 state schools that have zero enrolment will likely be utilised after discussions with other departments on using their infrastructure in the best possible way. Teachers from these schools are being shifted to nearby schools that have been struggling with shortages.
“We are trying to make a significant change in the school education system by providing quality education to students studying in govt-aided schools. However, govt will not take responsibility for private schools involved in discrepancies that impact the entire education system in Bengal and this will not be tolerated,” Barman added.
The state has been working to address the imbalance in teacher deployment across state-aided schools. Headmasters from zero-enrolment schools are also being shifted to nearby schools.
