14 schools in DK to shut down due to a lack of payments

A total of 14 schools in Dakshina Kannada have had to shut down due to a COVID-induced financial crunch and a near-complete absence of school admissions. One of the 14 is a government school, four are aided schools, and nine are private schools. All of them have written to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requesting a shutdown.

Nonpayment of fees is the primary reason for the closure of unassisted schools. They are now in a financial crisis as a result of this. Poor admissions and institutional management were additional reasons for the schools’ decision to close. They help youngsters from low-income families. Their parents have not paid school fees as a result of the epidemic. They are unable to pay our employees and maintain the premises. The institution may open next year, stated one of the institution’s leaders.

The government school is closing due to a lack of new students. The school is located in Kilenjur, which is part of Mangaluru’s North Block Education Office (BEO). There were just two students at the lower elementary school. They were siblings who had finished their educations. This academic year, there are no new admissions.

Two aided schools and a private school in the same BEO have issued closure proposals. In Mangaluru South BEO bounds, two unaided schools and one aided school are set to close their doors. One aided and one unaided school in the Moodbidri BEO areas and two unaided schools in the Bantwal BEO limits have applied for closure. As per Manjula KL, deputy project coordinator of the Samagra Shiksha Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada, two unaided schools are closed in the Puttur BEO limits and one unaided in the Sullia limits.

As per a DPI official, the head of a private school in Moodbidri has gone MIA and every staff member has been laid off. Meanwhile, without giving a reason for the school’s closure, all of the pupils have been issued transfer certificates. So they asked them to clarify, the official stated. The shutdown of some schools, as per DDPI Malleswamy, is just temporary. He speculated that they might open next academic year.