A government school in Tripura’s Charilam block faces total student absence for a year as parents shift to private English-medium institutions, exposing deep concerns about rural education quality, policy neglect, and language preference in public schooling.
A startling revelation about the state of public education in Tripura’s rural belt has emerged from Maniram Thakurpara JB School under Charilam RD Block. Despite government efforts to strengthen the education system in tribal and rural zones, this government-run school, situated within the TTAADC area, currently has zero students enrolled.
For the past one year, not a single student has taken admission in the school. The situation has left the lone teacher and the School Management Committee (SMC) in despair. All their attempts to encourage local parents to send their children back to the state-run institution have failed, as most have shifted to a nearby private English-medium school.
The Rise of English-Medium Aspirations
According to local sources, every student previously enrolled in the Maniram Thakurpara JB School has migrated to an English-medium private school recently established in the vicinity. The growing aspiration among parents for English-medium education, coupled with declining confidence in government institutions, has created a widening gap between the two systems.
“We can’t turn down the requests of parents. If they want to admit their children in private schools, we can’t stop them,” said the teacher in-charge, who has been posted as the sole staff member for over a year.
He explained that every morning, he opens the school at around 8:00 am and waits till noon, though no students ever arrive. “Our official timing is from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, but since there are no students, I leave around 12:00 pm. Sometimes, if there’s departmental work, I leave early,” he said in a resigned tone.
Community Reluctance and Failed Interventions
The teacher added that despite repeated interventions, including meetings convened by the School Management Committee (SMC) head, Ankapati Debbarma, villagers have remained firm in their decision.
“We have held multiple meetings with parents and local leaders, but none are willing to send their children to a Bengali-medium school anymore,” he said.
The shift toward English-medium education, even in rural Tripura, reflects a deep-rooted perception that private schools offer better quality education and greater prospects for the future. Parents, often with limited incomes, are ready to pay higher fees if it means giving their children an edge in communication and job opportunities.
A Sign of a Larger Crisis
Education officials admit that Maniram Thakurpara JB School’s condition is not an isolated case. Several other government schools across the state have been witnessing a steady decline in enrolment as parents opt for private or English-medium institutions.
A local school located just a few kilometres away was in a similar situation last year, but after it was converted into an English-medium school, hundreds of students were admitted within months.
“This shows that language and perception play a huge role. Once the government school shifted to English medium, enrolment surged,” said a local education official.
The growing preference for English-medium education in rural and tribal areas has raised concerns about the sustainability of the state’s Bengali-medium institutions. It also highlights the need for urgent policy reforms to make government schools more appealing, competitive, and relevant to modern aspirations.
Experts Urge Reforms
Educationists argue that while private schools may offer attractive English-medium instruction, the state’s education department must step in to modernize curriculum delivery, introduce bilingual teaching methods, and ensure teacher availability in remote areas.
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“Government schools still hold the potential to deliver quality education, but parents need assurance that their children won’t be left behind. Without reforms, more schools could end up like Maniram Thakurpara JB School — open, but empty,” said an academic familiar with rural education challenges in Tripura.
As the sun sets each day over the deserted classrooms of Maniram Thakurpara JB School, the silence reflects not just the absence of children, but the growing divide between aspiration and accessibility in the state’s education landscape.
