Panaji: Non-appointment of a teacher for two months at the pre-primary section of govt primary school at Neura has irked parents, as two teachers have to cope with students in seven classes in the school.After the pre-primary teacher’s contract ended, the students of nursery, lower and upper kindergarten didn’t have much to do, as the vacancy was not filled up.A delegation of parents approached the education department authorities with their grievance. Though an assurance was given about appointing a teacher that would have relieved the burden on the two teachers, parents said nothing has materialised so far.“The quality of education cannot be even average if two teachers have to take care of both sections,” a parent said.Hundreds of govt primary schools have already shut down in Goa over the last decade due to low enrolment. And the govt pre-primary schools are meant to be feeder schools for enrolment in these primary sections. With the pre-primary schools deprived of teachers, the primary schools are set to shut down at a faster pace.As per the directorate of education’s (DoE) data, this academic year has seen the biggest-ever dip in govt primary school enrolment in the state, with nearly 2,000 fewer students enrolled in these schools for 2026-27 as against the previous year, 2025-26.This shows that the trend of shift of children from govt primary schools to govt-aided and private schools is only accelerating. In 2025-26, students enrolled from Class I to IV in state schools were 17,027, and this year the number has come down to 15,163, a difference of 1,864 children.A lack of teachers at the pre-primary level also defeats the goal of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which mandates that pre-primary education be brought within the fold of formal schooling, regulating what and how children are taught from age three.
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