100 government schools set to disappear this year!
The latest data from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education reveal that the total number of government schools is expected to decrease by around 100 this year compared with last year.There were 10,047 government schools last year, while data received by the Ministry so far from the respective provinces indicate that the number has now fallen below 10,000.
The number of schools in the previous year (2024) stood at 10,076. The decline is attributed to a program to merge schools with low student enrolments with other schools. Around 300 schools that could be merged have reportedly been identified so far.
Meanwhile, the number of candidates who sat the Grade Five Scholarship Examination this year has decreased by 13,804 compared with last year.A total of 303,617 candidates sat the examination last year, while 289,867 candidates sat it this year.
These students entered Grade One in 2022. The number of students admitted to Grade One that year was 292,517.Accordingly, there is a difference of 2,650 between the number of students admitted to Grade One that year and the number of candidates who sat the Scholarship Examination this year.In 2021, a total of 335,158 candidates sat the Grade Five Scholarship Examination.
Reports from the Department of Examinations also indicate that the number of candidates sitting the G.C.E. Advanced Level and Ordinary Level examinations are declining year by year.