No enrolment shuts 17 public schools

POKHARA, FEB 21 -
Even one and a half months after the start of this year's academic session Kuldip Primary School in Kaski not only wears a deserted look, but also is out of whack.
As not a single student enrolled in, villagers themselves decided to shut down the school based in Armala, said Subhadra Acharya, former head teacher of the school. This is just a case in point. There are many community schools suffering the same fate. According to the data available at the Kaski District Education Office (DEO), 17 community schools were shut in Kaski within the past three years due to lack of students.
The DEO said two dozen other schools could be closed or merged at any time, thanks to the decreasing number of students. Rivan-based Maulabhagawati Primary School is one among the 17 closed schools. Merely three students were enrolled in Grade 3, whereas its enrolment in Grade 1 and 2 was nil.  "The villagers take their wards to bazaar areas thinking that private schools would provide better education. Such a trend led to the closure of public schools," said a local teacher, Digha Kumari Gurung.