The West Bengal education department has issued a circular stating that the infrastructure of 933 government-run schools with zero enrolment will be assessed through visits to determine how the premises can be developed and utilised for other purposes under the public-private partnership (PPP)

The West Bengal education department has issued a circular stating that the infrastructure of 933 government-run schools with zero enrolment will be assessed through visits to determine how the premises can be developed and utilised for other purposes under the public-private partnership (PPP)

The West Bengal education department has issued a circular stating that the infrastructure of 933 government-run schools with zero enrolment will be assessed through visits to determine how the premises can be developed and utilised for other purposes under the public-private partnership (PPP)

The West Bengal education department has issued a circular stating that the infrastructure of 933 government-run schools with zero enrolment will be assessed through visits to determine how the premises can be developed and utilised for other purposes under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. This could involve inter-departmental transfers of property, with the premises being utilised as ARD centres, training centres, health centres and public facilities.

The circular says that schools with zero enrolment, resulting in underutilisation, have been created using public funds. The larger question, however, is what efforts the present government is making to revive these schools while improving school education in the state.

The West Bengal Education Minister Dipak Barman says that there are no enrolments in these schools, nor has there been any decision to enrol students in them over the last 20 years. “The property in these schools is getting damaged. These include land, buildings and playgrounds. A committee has been formed to look into this,” said Barman.

The government is trying to determine whether there can be an inter-departmental transfer of property and assets, but first, the process of handing these schools back to the government must take place. For operational schools with fewer students, the government is mulling the recruitment of more teachers. “There will be teachers in every school,” added Barman.

In remote areas where there are fewer schools, existing schools will continue to function. “If there are several schools in the vicinity and there are students concentrated only in one school, then we will think about what is to be done,” explained the minister.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has blamed the 34-year Left Front rule and slammed the government's decision, questioning why no efforts are being made to revive these schools and improve the school education system.

“A few wrong policies of the Left regime have resulted in long-term damage,” said TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, while speaking about other decisions like stopping the teaching of English and computers in government schools and instead encouraging private schools. “Instead of rectifying this, the BJP is using its PPP style. Now they have started selling schools,” he said.

A 30-day time frame has been given to the committee to assess the situation on the ground in these schools before deciding what each of the underutilised schools will be used for.