Schools with less than 50 students to be merged with nearby schools

Schools in the country with less than 50 students in the last 10 years will be merged with neighbouring schools, Primary and Mass Education Ministry Secretary Farid Ahmed said today (21 March).

"We will look into the picture of the last 10 years. Schools with less than 50 students will be merged with neighbouring schools. We have found about 300 such schools. We are verifying them," he said at a briefing held at the conference room of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education at the Secretariat.

Mentioning that all these schools will not be closed down indiscriminately, he said, "Decisions will be taken after considering all the circumstances including local realities."

He stated that a school in Rangamati's Belaichhari upazila has only 42 students and the number remains the same for the last few years.

"We will not merge that school because those 42 students commute from a distance of about 7-8 kilometres. Therefore, we will consider this context and refrain from making a blanket decision," said the secretary.

"Our policy decision pertains to the schools where there have been 5-7 students consistently for the last few years. Those schools will be merged," he added.