Covid aftermath: No fees, poor admissions push 14 schools in Dakshina Kannada to shut down – Times of India

Of the 14, one is a government school, four are aided schools and nine are unaided or private institutions.

All have written to the department of public instruction (DPI), seeking to shut their doors.
The only government school shutting down is doing so for lack of fresh admission. The school is in Kilenjur, under the Mangaluru North Block Education Office (BEO) limits. The lower primary school had two children, who were siblings. They completed their studies and there are no new admissions this academic year.

In the same BEO limits, two aided schools and an unaided one have sent proposals for closure.

In the Mangaluru South BEO limits, two unaided schools and an aided one are expected to close their doors too.

In the Moodbidri BEO limits, one aided and one unaided school, and in the Bantwal BEO limits, two unaided schools have sought closure.

There are two unaided schools closed in the Puttur BEO limits and one unaided in the Sullia limits, said Manjula KL, the deputy project coordinator of the Samagra Shiksha Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada.

The major reason for the closure of the unaided schools is the non-payment of fees. This has resulted in a financial crisis for them. Poor admissions and management of the institutions are also factors that led the schools to decide to shut down.

“We cater to children from low-income groups. As a result of the pandemic, their parents have not paid us the proper fees. We cannot pay our staff and look after the buildings’ maintenance. We cannot sustain ourselves any longer after the economic blow and decided to shut down. The institution may open next year,” said an institution head.

A DPI official said: “The head of a private school in Moodbidri has gone incommunicado and all staff have been laid off. Meanwhile, all the students have been given transfer certificates without citing any reason for the school’s closure. We have asked them to clarify,” said the official.

DDPI Malleswamy shared that the closure of some schools is temporary. “They may open in the next academic year,” he said.