Centre defends UP government's school merger policy amid criticism

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

New Delhi: The Union ministry of education on Monday defended the Uttar Pradesh government's ongoing school pairing initiative amid criticism over the issue, saying the process is 'carefully mapped' to ensure that students are relocated within a safe and feasible distance. Members in the Lok Sabha during the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament on Monday. (Sansad TV)
The initiative to merge schools having enrolment of less than 50 students with larger schools nearby is underway at a time when the state witnessed a 15.94% reduction in the number of government schools, from 1,63,114 in 2017-18 to 1,37,102 in 2023-24, according to education ministry's data.
In response to questions raised by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Banda constituency of Uttar Pradesh, union minister of state (MoS) for education Jayant Chadhary said that the efforts are underway to repurpose the spaces of closed schools into Balvatika meant for holding classes for pre-primary students.
Through a government order dated June 16, 2025, the Uttar Pradesh government initiated a pairing of school initiative to ensure optimal utilisation of resources and to enhance the quality of education, under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Chaudhary said.
'Schools with low enrolment are being paired with nearby designated schools that offer improved infrastructure, and a more enriched learning and engaging academic environment. This approach facilitates access to peer learning, age appropriate pedagogy, and the development of 21st-century skills. The pairing process is carefully mapped to ensure that children are relocated within a safe and feasible distance,' he said.
Chaudhary said that a 'focused effort' is underway to repurpose spaces of closed schools into Balvatika centres. 'This initiative supports the policy's emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), providing foundational learning environments for children aged 3 to 5 years,' he said.
Chaudhary's response in Lok Sabha has come at a time when Uttar Pradesh government is facing criticism over the merging of schools, which some fear will lead to increased travel distances for young students.
On July 14, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to merge schools. The petition argues that the decision violates the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. It contends that the merger would result in primary schools being located farther away for young children, potentially leading them to miss out on their education.
There are nearly 1.40 lakh government primary and upper primary schools in the state, out of which 29,000 have 50 or fewer students. The state government's order was challenged before the Allahabad high court but it dismissed the pleas on July 7.
In response to Samajwadi MP from Azamgarh Dharmendra Yadav's questions related to school infrastructure, Chaudhary stated that there are 1,37,102 government schools in Uttar Pradesh out of 10,17,660 government schools in the country – 13.47%. The minister also shared the data from Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) reports which shows that the number of government schools in Uttar Pradesh has declined by 15.94% from 1,63,114 in 2017-18 to 1,37,102 in 2023-24.
'Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the majority of schools come under the administrative domain or jurisdiction of the respective state government and Union Territory (UT) administration. The opening and closing of schools come under the purview of respective state governments and UT administration,' Chaudhary said.