According to the DEO, schools that do not have at least 20 students would be shut down.Apart from these 16 schools, many others would be merged with others or demoted in the academic level, according to the DEO. "We have decided to demote three lower secondary school to primary schools. The demotion process has already begun," informed District Education Officer Badri Prashad Pathak.
Among the schools to be closed down are Janajyoti Primary School of Ladabhir, Kalika Primary School of Khologaun, Janasabi Primary School of Hatpate, Kalyani Primary School of Kapana, and Janajagriti Primary School of Bhimeshwar among others, according to Devi Prashad Adhikari, information officer at the DEO.
"Apart from shutting down the 16 schools, as many as 224 schools in the district would be merged in the first phase. We have already written to the schools concerned. However, a few schools could not be merged, demoted or shut down due to difficult topography and other problems," he added.
According to a source at the DEO, the process of merger and closure would take some time to implement because discussions need to be held at various levels with education committee, political parties, and teachers' associations. The DEO has also been pressurized not to shut down schools to safeguard employment of teachers, the source further claimed, adding that most of the schools facing merger and closure have more teachers than students.
Related story
Photographs of Sindhuli on display
