How School Consolidation Affects Marginalised Communities?
- Feb. 28, 2026, 6:55 p.m.
The Chief of the AJP in Lucknow criticised the BJP government in UP over its recent decision to combine schools with fewer than 50 students. He also said he alleged that the move aims to hand over education to private players. Mentioning at a press conference, the chief said the government plans to close upper primary and primary schools with enrolment less than 50 students under the label of “school merger.”
He debated that the ground reality varies from the government’s claims and alerted that such conclusions could threaten education in rural areas, specifically for students from Dalit, poor, backward and tribal communities. The former minister mentioned that the conclusion would strip thousands of students of education. He included that the merger could badly affect girls in rural regions, claiming that up to 90% might give up, while around 50% of boys could discontinue their studies as well.
The AJP chief stressed that labourers, farmers, tribals, backwards-class and Dalit families with adequate resources depend on village schools for their children’s education. He interrogated that where these children would go if government authorities shut down the schools and raised worries about the future of the mid-day meal scheme. He swore that the conclusion violates Article 46 and Article 21A of the Constitution and reported it as anti-people and anti-poor.
The AJP chief recommended that the government authorities reconsider the conclusion regarding underprivileged children. He mentioned that the RTE Act and the Constitution make it the government’s responsibility to offer free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14 as well. He indicated that shutting down schools directly opposes these constitutional preparations.
The APJ chief called on the government to refrain from allotting teachers’ non-academic duties and urged CM Yogi Adityanath to review the conclusion. He said that the move reflects a deliberate effort to privatise the education model and depict government teachers as inefficient.
