Gujarat shuts 54 govt primary schools in 33 dists as student numbers plunge

THE Gujarat government has informed the Assembly that 54 state-run primary schools in 33 districts had been shut down in the past two years due to plummeting student enrollment.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA @ Ahmedabad

The primary, secondary, and adult education minister made the disclosure recently in response to a question by Congress MLA Kirit Patel (Patan).

Devbhoomi Dwarka topped the list with nine closures, followed by Aravalli (7), Amreli (6), and Porbandar (6). Junagadh recorded four closures, while Chhota Udepur, Kutch, and Rajkot saw three schools shut down each. Kheda, Jamnagar, and Navsari followed with two closures per district. The crisis didn't spare Bhavnagar, Dang, Gir Somnath, Mahesana, Panchmahal, Surat, and Surendranagar, each losing one primary school, underscoring a grim picture of shrinking educational access.