Noida, Ghaziabad teachers association join statewide protest against school merger

Time of India

6 days ago

Noida: Over 2,000 teachers from Noida and Ghaziabad staged a sit-in at the district basic education offices and collectorate on Tuesday, stating that the state's decision to merge primary and upper primary schools, which have less than 50 students, with nearby institutions would deprive children, aged 6 to 14, from getting education in their neighbourhood in violation of Article 21A of the Constitution of India.
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Protesters claimed the policy would also reduce vacancies for teaching staff in the state and would deepen the job crisis, especially for DElEd candidates. Teachers in Noida also claimed that the policy is contradictory to campaigns such as School Chalo Abhiyaan, as after pairing, several students stopped going to schools due to increased distance.
The protest comes just a day after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court upheld UP govt's June 16 order.
A bench of justice Pankaj Bhatia dismissed two separate writ petitions filed by Krishna Kumari and others seeking the cancellation of the govt order. The court, however, observed the state govt is bound to ensure that no child is left out because of any action taken by it.
Teachers argued that the policy will severely impact children's access to education, particularly in rural areas where schools are often the only accessible learning centres within walking distance.
"This policy is not welcome at all," said Amit Goswami, president of Ghaziabad Teachers' Association. "It will reduce teaching positions, eliminate principal posts, and worsen the job crisis, especially for DElEd graduates. Currently, so many students pursue DElEd courses from private colleges too. Where will they go if there's no job in teaching services? It's demoralising for both students and teachers."
According to officials, around 1.89 lakh candidates enrolled for the DElEd course in the admission process for the 2024 session.
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The last advertisement for assistant teachers' recruitment in primary schools was issued in 2018.
Pointing out that the merger goes against campaigns such as School Chalo Abhiyan, which aim to boost enrolment, Noida Teachers Association president Praveen Sharma said, "Many students have already stopped going to school after these mergers because the distance has increased. How can we expect class 1 and 2 children to walk 4-5 km daily? Moreover, in the past few years, teachers have been conducting door-to-door surveys to enrol these kids, encouraging their parents.
Rather than increasing the number of schools and recruiting more teachers, the govt is reducing the schools count, which is a bad step."
Parents also expressed frustration after finding their children's schools shut following summer vacations.
"We were shocked to see the school gates locked. My kids were left standing outside. They can't travel several kilometres every day," said Jayveer Singh, a parent from Kheda Dujana village
Teachers also said that the decision could push dropout rates higher, particularly among girls.
"These schools are like second homes for children. Forcing them to shift to distant schools disrupts their comfort and learning," said another teacher.
In Noida, 72 such schools have been merged, while in Ghaziabad, 60 schools are listed to be merged.
"The schools are paired as per state order. The existing buildings will be converted into Bal Vatikas (playschools)," said Rahul Panwar, BSA, Noida.