The Punjab School Education Department has decided to close and merge another 555 government schools with nearby high and elementary schools. The schools selected for merger are located within two kilometers of another educational institution and have fewer than five enrolled students despite having three teachers posted at each school. Officials said the schools had failed to improve enrollment even after being outsourced. ALSO READ Sindh Announces New College TimingsFollowing the latest merger, the total number of government schools operating across Punjab will fall to 37,000. The provincial government has so far handed over 13,000 government schools to private contractors as part of its outsourcing initiative.