MUMBAI, May 4 -- There will be no roll call at Siddharth Night School in Fort this academic year. Founded 80 years ago by Dr BR Ambedkar, Dalit leader and architect of the Indian Constitution, the school has lost its three teachers after the state government transferred them to other aided schools, citing low enrolment. The move was triggered by a recent Aadhaar-based verification drive, which showed enrolment numbers lower than the school's actual headcount, as many students, all of them from low-income backgrounds, did not possess the required documents. The development has raised concerns about the fate of 18 other night schools in the island city, including St Xavier's night school. The state education department has issued transfer notices to 21 teachers from these 19 schools, declaring them 'surplus' based on student strength. The teachers have been directed to report to work at other night schools, where enrolment meets the minimum requirement of 20 students per class. Among these are the three teachers from Siddharth Night School, which has one division each for Classes 8 to 10. There are 150-odd night schools in city. "There are three teachers for three classes. Since this is a government-aided school, it is not possible to appoint new teachers. This leaves us with no option but to shut the school from the upcoming academic year," said an office-bearer with the People's Education Society, which runs the institution. He said the teachers' salaries have been withheld since February. They have been told they will not be paid until they take up their new postings. Siddharth Night School is one of city's oldest night schools. The actual student strength is 20, 21 and 26, in Classes 8, 9 and 10, respectively-above the minimum requirement of 20 per class. However, a recent Aadhaar-based verification drive reduced the officially recorded numbers to 15 and 13 in Classes 8 and 9. It raised the Class 10 strength to 37, questioning the validity of the verification process. "This discrepancy gave the government grounds to transfer the teachers. Similar action has been taken in 18 other night schools in South Mumbai. This could lead to their closure, forcing students to drop out, as not all of them can secure admission in nearby schools," a teacher said. Dalit organisations are protesting the likely closure of the school, warning of an agitation if the decision is not reversed. Chandrashekhar Kamble, executive committee member of the People's Education Society, and chief of the Republican Bahujan Vidyarthi Parishad, said, "If the government wants to merge schools with low enrolment, why doesn't it merge others into Siddharth Night School? We have taken up the issue with the state government." Kapil Patil, former legislator from teachers' constituency said, "It is a conspiracy of the privatisation-friendly government to reduce the number of aided schools, to save money in budgets. " Education inspector for South Mumbai, Vaishali Veer, said, "As per government policy, we have proposed transferring teachers from Siddharth Night School and other such schools to other institutions in the same division after assessment. We are not shutting the school," she said. While the notices issued relate to the transfer of teachers, not to closing the schools, for some of these institutions, it's the end of an era. The number of night schools in the city has dropped from around 350 a decade ago to about 150 today....