Chandigarh: The Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira today released a Notification dated 18.10.17 issued by Director School Education (Elementary), according to which 800 Govt. Primary Schools are being closed across Punjab, on the pretext of merger with nearby schools. Khaira termed this as an extreme retrograde step and blatant violation of Right to Free Education RTE Act 2009, for the underprivileged and poor children.
Khaira while releasing the list to media here in Chandigarh today, said that the Punjab government has decided to close the said 800 GPS and merge them with nearby schools, on the plea that these schools are having less than 20 students.
Khaira slams Capt. Amarinder Singh government, that instead of providing quality and free education and increasing the number of schools in Punjab, his government has decided to close 800 schools which is gross discrimination with thousands of poor children. He said by doing so Capt. Amarinder Singh has put to risk the future of students of the said 800 schools, facing closure due to this retrograde decision.
Khaira further criticized the Punjab government, that the children of these 800 schools will now have to walk or travel many kilometers. This is gross violation of the RTE Act 2009, wherein a primary school should be situated in a distance less than 1 kilometer. For example small children of GPS Dere Shahpur Peera at Serial No. 458 of the list, will now have to walk or travel 5 kilometers to GPS Jairampur and will have to cross the six lane busy NH-1 of Delhi-Amritsar, besides a railway crossing.
Khaira also condemned the anti people “Diwali” gift of Capt. Amarinder Singh by closing these 800 schools and a cruel joke with the electorate of Gurdaspur Lok Sabha, where 133 GPS are being shut down. This retrograde step of the Capt. Amarinder Singh government also deflates it’s so called plank of development, a rhetoric often repeated in the recent held Gurdaspur by election.
Khaira said that monetary gains seem to have taken precedence over right to free education and the livelihood of these poor children by the Congress government. It’s like being “penny wise and pound foolish” stated the LoP.
Khaira said he will take up this matter with AAP MLA’s and lodge “Dharna” protest outside the premises of said 800 primary schools, facing the axe of the draconian government.
Khaira urged Capt. Amarinder Singh to intervene immediately and direct the Education Minister, to withdraw this draconian notification and instead motivate people in the villages to increase the number of students in their respective schools, to fully avail the central grant under Sarb Sikhya Abhiyan(SSA)
