A petition seeking a resolution against closure of government schools was submitted at a Gram sabha meeting held at Shenbagapudur panchayat in Sathyamangalam block on Saturday (August 15, 2026).
The State coordinator of the School Education Protection Movement S.C. Nataraj submitted the petition saying 208 government schools across the State were closed last year owing to the absence of children in the school-going age group. The petition pointed out that 48 government primary schools in the Nilgiris district had no students enrolled and were facing the prospect of closure. Further, 2,418 government schools across the State had fewer than 10 students each and were also at risk of being closed.
The government should take steps to increase enrolment in these schools and ensure that they remained functional, the petition said.
Officials said the petition would be placed before the Gram sabha and a resolution would be adopted. Village Administrative Officer Sivakumar, Kalaivani, who attended the meeting as an observer from the Sathyamangalam panchayat union office, panchayat secretary Rajesh and more than 100 residents participated in the meeting.
Published – August 15, 2026 07:54 pm IST
