In Ghughukham, nestled within Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, a solitary student graces the corridors of a government primary educational institution, where two educators tirelessly impart knowledge.
With the imminent arrival of the new academic term, the school’s hallowed halls will echo with emptiness as Nirmal Arya, the lone scholar in fifth grade, bids adieu to pursue further education at a secondary establishment on the eve of March 31, 2024.
The enrollment figures at Government Primary School, Ghughukham have dwindled drastically over recent years. Commencing with a cohort of 15 pupils in 2019-2020, the tally waned to 14 in 2020-2021. By the turn of 2022-2023, the numbers plummeted further to a mere quartet, and now, in the year 2024, the solitary presence of a single pupil remains.
Shabana Siddiqui, one of the two erudite mentors, laments the exodus of parents securing transfer certificates for their progeny, opting instead for the sanctuary of private educational institutions. Those employed in distant locales uproot their kin to accompany them, seeking solace in the embrace of scholastic establishments there. “Despite our relentless efforts to sway their decisions, the trickle of enrollees continues to dwindle. Should the stream of admissions run dry after March 31, our bastion of learning shall stand desolate,” she remarks.
Echoing Siddiqui’s sentiments, Yashoda Rawat, a stalwart educator with a dozen years of service to her credit, observes the gradual erosion of student numbers with each passing year. “The egress of inhabitants from our midst, coupled with a proclivity among residents to patronize private schools in Nainital, has precipitated this decline. With scant prospects for employment in our vicinity, the populace seeks greener pastures elsewhere, relegating their ancestral abode to mere ephemeral visits during electoral proceedings and religious observances,” Rawat reflects.
Both educators recount their concerted efforts, traversing the hamlet’s lanes to beseech parents to entrust their progeny to the stewardship of the government school. Despite the provision of comprehensive amenities, parental preference tilts in favor of private institutions, they rue.