The Maharashtra government has decided to retract the Cluster School Scheme, a move that aimed to consolidate primary and secondary government schools with fewer than 20 students and hand them over to private organizations. The decision to withdraw the scheme comes in light of strong opposition and low response, as confirmed by School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Sunday.
The controversial initiative faced backlash for its potential impact on smaller schools, leading to concerns about closures and potential negative consequences for students. Minister Kesarkar clarified through a government resolution that no schools in the state would be closed due to this decision. Instead, the state government plans to provide transport allowances to all students, ensuring they can choose convenient means of transportation to attend school.
The government is currently gathering data on schools and students to determine eligibility for transport allowances and other facilities. As per the data collected so far, 19,793 students in the state qualify for transport allowances, with 3,364 villages identified for this facility in rural and urban areas. This step aligns with the Right To Education (RTE) Act, ensuring that students from Classes I to V without a school within one kilometer and students from Classes VI to IX within 3 km core area and 5 km periphery can avail the allowance.
Minister Kesarkar stated, “No schools will be closed in the state. Instead, the school education department has decided to give transport allowance to students to boost attendance. The data collection process is ongoing to determine accommodation for ashram schools and the number of students eligible for transport allowance.”
Education experts and teachers’ representatives have welcomed the government’s decision, emphasizing that the initial plan to close low-attendance schools and cluster them was deemed illogical and faced widespread opposition from various stakeholders.
