Teachers in U.P. protest over merger of schools
In Prayagraj, outside the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan office, hundreds from Prathamik Sikshak Sangh raised concerns over merging or pairing of schools with less than 50 students, abolishing the posts of headmasters in schools with student strength of less than 150 and upper primary schools with less than 100 students, matters related to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), cashless medical facility, appointment of deceased dependents, promotion, exemption from BLO duty, change of summer school timings and promoted pay scales.
'The merger will destroy the vulnerable primary education system; pupils will have to go far-off for attending classes. It will put additional pressure on parents. Primary teachers have multiple grievances which the government is failing to address,' said Devendra Srivastava, a teachers' Union leader. In many other districts, the teachers submitted memorandum to officials over the demands.
Functional, viable
Uttar Pradesh government initiated a plan to merge schools having enrolment of less than 50 students, with nearby educational facility to make the education system more functional and viable. As part of the consolidation plan, students from these schools will be accommodated in nearby facilities to ensure that they continue the education.
The issue faced pushback from many teachers and Opposition parties, who dubbed the decision as anti-poor. Some students, through their guardian, moved the Allahabad High Court challenging the merger. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on July 7 dismissed their writ petitions, asserting that pairing (merger) of schools does not violate Article 21A of the Constitution.
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