Around 12 independently funded Gujarati medium schools located throughout the city have applied to cease operations as of the 2023 academic year. These 12 Gujarati-medium schools are on a list of 23 self-financed schools that have applied to close as of the 2023 academic year, according to District Education Officer (DEO) City officials.
Rest of the schools offer English medium education to students, the DEO officials said.
City DEO R M Chaudhari said that all these schools have cited lack of students as a major reason to shut down. “According to the applications filed by various trusts, Gujarati medium schools have stated that they do not get students in adequate numbers to sustain themselves. Some of the schools have stated that they have about only 50-150 students in between classes 1 and 8.
Keeping huge infrastructure just to keep them in the school is costing them a lot,” he said.
Chaudhari said that the DEO’s office won’t just hear the trust’s side, but also evaluate all the aspects and come up with a plan to shift RTE students to nearby schools.