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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
As Uttar Pradesh merges schools, longer walks, safety fears keep some away
Unlike Class 3 student Manoj Yadav,7, who is sitting at his assigned seat at the Patti Kalyanpur primary school in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur on a weekday afternoon, his sister Laxmi, 7, also a student of Class 3, hasn't been attending classes since July 1. On July 1, the sole primary school in their village Abbas Nagar, 1 km away, was 'paired' with the bigger Kalyanpur school. While Manoj walks with a group of students from their village to the Kalyanpur school daily, his parents feel the path is unsafe for Laxmi. In line with a recent directive by the Basic Education Department under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which emphasises greater collaboration, coordination and sharing of resources among institutions, since July 1, over 10,000 government primary schools across Uttar Pradesh have been 'paired' with nearby schools with better facilities. While similar exercises aimed at rationalising resources have been carried out in other states too, UP government officials insist the schools in the state are not being merged but 'paired'. 'Unlike mergers, where schools cease to exist, paired schools can be shifted back to their original buildings in case of overcrowding at the new ones,' said a district-level education officer. However, the Opposition — from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati — has opposed the move, saying it will 'deprive' future generations, particularly those from the backward, Dalit and minority communities, of their right to accessible and affordable education. The policy has also prompted protests from teachers' associations and parents, with petitions being filed against it in the Allahabad High Court. Upholding the state's decision, the court had on July 7 said the move did not violate Article 21A (right to free and compulsory education for children aged six to 14). The court also said the move aimed to provide children with quality education and equal opportunities since resources in small schools were scattered, depriving children access to adequate teaching staff, libraries, sports and digital learning facilities. Kanchan Verma, Director-General, UP school education, says, 'Of 1.32 lakh government schools in UP (with nearly 1.48 crore students), 10,784 primary schools are being paired.' Officials said these pairings were done keeping in mind multiple factors, including low enrolment and poor infrastructure. Yet, since the recent pairings in UP, teachers say some of their students, especially the girls, haven't been attending classes. While the Abbas Nagar school had 41 students, the Kalyanpur school had 115 students and five teachers, including two Shiksha Mitras, before the pairing. Only 14 of Abbas Nagar students were present at Kalyanpur during a recent visit by The Indian Express. 'Twenty-seven of my students — 16 girls and 11 boys — have not been attending school since the pairing. A few have joined private schools, but most are sitting at home,' says Shiv Kumar, the former head teacher at Abbas Nagar school who now reports to the Kalyanpur school. Staff from old schools have been reporting to the new ones since July 1. Sitting near a bundle of freshly cut fodder, Manoj and Laxmi's aunt Meera, 48, says, 'Manoj went to school, but Laxmi does not want to go.' 'Beech mein jungle hai (there is forest on the way),' Laxmi explains sheepishly. Though the family is yet to take a call on Laxmi's education, Meera says her parents are farm labourers and can't afford to send her to a private school. Like Laxmi, Meenaksi Yadav, a Class 4 student from Abbas Nagar village, has not been going to school since July 1. On a school day, she sits next to her mother Radha, 40, a farm labourer, who says, 'Door pad gaya (the Kalyanpur school is far). She would walk alone to the local school. What if someone does something to her in the woods on the way to Kalyanpur?' A senior education department officer in Lucknow said efforts are on to encourage the students to attend the new schools and that all grievances of parents would be addressed. He adds, 'No one is forcing parents to send their children to the new schools. They can send them to their old school.' However, when The Indian Express visited the Abbas Nagar school at noon on a weekday, its main gate was locked. The government's move has triggered similar fears in Lucknow, where nearly 154 primary schools have been paired. At Paharpur in Malihabad tehsil of rural Lucknow, the primary school has been paired with the school in Baka, nearly 3 km away. With the Right to Education Act mandating that the primary school must be in a 1-km radius of the child's residence, Ram Pravesh, Basic Shiksha Adhikari, Lucknow, says, 'We have asked Block Education Officers to carry out a ground-level feasibility check, including schools located far from a neighbourhood.' Till last year, the Paharpur school had just 28 students. After its three teachers — two assistant teachers and one Shiksha Mitra — started encouraging families to send their children to school, the number rose to 54 this year. Though the Paharpur school was merged with one at Baka due to its 'poor infrastructure', none of its 54 students have been attending school. In Paharpur village, the families cited several reasons for keeping the children away from the Baka school — from increased distance to aggressive stray dogs near a gaushala en route. Before the pairing, Mula Devi's grandchildren, Class 2 student Kunal, 7, and Class 3 student Payal, 8, walked barely 500 metres from home to school. 'We took them to the new school one day, but a stray dog attacked us on the way. We decided the children can't walk to school. If the government doesn't reverse its decision, we will either send them to a private school or they will stay at home,' says Devi, 62. Paharpur teachers say they are trying to encourage the students to attend the new school. 'We started ferrying some students to school on our motorcycles, but the arrangement wasn't sustainable,' says Vijay Kumar Bajpai, the former teacher incharge of the Paharpur school. Even the primary school in Bargadhi, which had 14 students, has been paired with the one at Baka, located around 1 km away. Rahisa Khatoon, an assistant teacher at Bargadhi, says all 14 have been attending classes in Baka. In Malihabad tehsil's Datali village, the primary school had just 39 students. Since it was paired with the school in Bhulsi, located around 2 km away, only 12 have been attending classes. Assistant teacher Farhad Kamal says, 'We are persuading parents to send the children to Bhulsi, but they have their own constraints.' An education official said infrastructure from the merged schools will be used to set up Bal Vatikas (pre-primary schools) across the state. 'Anganwadi centres from nearby areas will be shifted to these Bal Vatikas, which will have one Early Childhood Care and Education teacher, child-friendly furniture, outdoor play areas, learning materials, etc.,' the officer added. Back at the Kalyanpur school, Manoj is among the first to line up outside the gate after the final 2 pm bell. As he waits for the others, he says, 'I try to teach my sister Laxmi what I learn in school, but I forget quite a bit by the time I reach home. I liked going to school with her. I hope our old school reopens soon.' Led by Class 5 student Rachit, the senior-most, all Abbas Nagar students form a queue, hold hands and sing songs as they follow him over a narrow pagdandi (trail) through the fields and a thickly wooded area. 'Agar koi gum gaya, toh sabka school band ho jayega (Even if one of us gets lost, none of us will be allowed to attend school),' says Rachit. Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
School fee hike sparks protest by parents in Delhi, demand reforms
Hundreds of parents gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 20 to protest against what they called arbitrary fee hikes and lack of transparency in private under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), the protest comes after months of unacknowledged efforts to engage with authorities on the to UPV, this was not the first time parents had tried to reach out. On June 30, 2025, a group waited for over three hours to meet Delhi Chief Minister Rekha While a small delegation was granted a brief interaction and promised further discussion, no follow-up communication occurred despite formal part of the protest, parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, and Education Minister, highlighting several key concerns. These included unauthorised fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds, and violations of student memorandum also objected to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance 2025, which protestors claimed was implemented without sufficient public DEMANDS RAISED BY PARENTSAmong the major demands listed were:Rollback of unratified fee increasesIndependent audits by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and forensic expertsGovernment-supervised parent-teacher association (PTA) elections for inclusive governanceAction against schools that shame or penalise students over unpaid fees, in violation of Article 21A of the ConstitutionParents also called for schools to shift to a monthly fee collection system, stating that lump-sum payments put undue financial pressure on advocated for all infrastructure purchases to be routed through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to ensure cost-effective and transparent significant demand was for public disclosure of approved fee structures by the Directorate of Education on both government and school CALLS FOR FAIRNESS AND DIALOGUEAccording to Rahul Gupta, a parent and UPV member, the protest reflected the community's frustration after exhausting all formal channels.'We have tried all channels, emails, meetings, even written representations to the highest offices. Today's gathering is a collective call for fairness and dignity in our children's education,' he reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and urged the government to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with concerned group also mentioned that earlier appeals had been sent via email and speed post to the President, Prime Minister, and Union Home Minister, seeking immediate parents continue to push for greater accountability in private education, they have vowed to persist with peaceful advocacy until meaningful reforms are achieved.(With inputs from PTI)- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAP Meerut launches ‘Save School Campaign' against UP school merger scheme
Dehradun: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Meerut faction launched 'Save School Campaign' on Wednesday to protest UP govt's school merger scheme. This follows a recent Allahabad HC ruling that mergers don't violate Article 21A. Ankush Chaudhary, AAP district president, told TOI, "We aim to reach villagers, mostly farmers, who rely on govt schools and are directly affected by this scheme. Their voices are unheard, and social media ignores their plight." He added, "In Gotka village, 37 primary school students now have to travel around 2.5 km after their school was shifted. Young children cannot manage this distance. The govt is effectively depriving marginalised students of education." Chaudhary said the campaign will expand statewide, and the issue will be taken to the Supreme Court. Justice Pankaj Bhatia ruled on Monday, "The mandate of article 21A cannot be presumed to be decided to hold that the free and compulsory education to the children in between the ages of six and fourteen years has to be provided by the State within a distance of 1 km, as is being argued."
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Allahabad HC dismisses pleas against Uttar Pradesh govt's school merger order
In a major relief to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday dismissed both the writ petitions challenging the state government's June 16 order for the merger of government-run primary schools and upper primary schools. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court began hearing the case on July 3. (FILE PHOTO) The court asserted that pairing (merger) of schools does not violate Article 21A of the Constitution. Article 21A guarantees the right to education as a fundamental right for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years. A single judge bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia passed the order on Monday, observing: 'The mandate of Article 21A of Constitution cannot be presumed to be decided to hold that the free and compulsory education to the children in between the age of six and fourteen years have to be provided by the State within a distance of 1 km, as is being argued.' The court added that just because the distance of the educational institutions after the merger would result in the school being established at a distance of more than one kilometre from a population of 300, the argument of the petitioners that it would be a violation of rights conferred under Article 21A of the Constitution, cannot be justified. Elaborating on the issue, the court pointed out that the duty to establish a school within one km has to be interpreted in a manner that it does not become absolutely unworkable and in the present case, the distances range from one km to approximately 2- 2.5 km. The court observed that the rules are applicable throughout the state from rural areas to semi-urban areas and to urban areas where there are limitations of the availability of land and other resources. 'The approximate population of the state is 24 crore and if the arguments of the petitioner are to be accepted that for every 300 inhabitants one school should be available at a distance of 1 km, the state will have to provide for about 8 lakh schools,' the court said. The high court added that literal interpretation of Rule 4(1)(a) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, would render the entire rule to be an absurdity. Rule 4(1)(a) of RTE Act, 2009, pertains to the admission of children into age-appropriate classes. Specifically, it addresses situations where a child over six years old has not been admitted to school or has dropped out. This rule ensures such children are admitted to a class that matches their age, enabling them to continue their elementary education. The rule is to be interpreted adopting the principles of interpretation so as to make it workable and not a dead letter, the court said. 'A purposive interpretation of the rule is required which mandates that the same must be construed in a manner that advances the object and purpose for which it was enacted,' the court observed. The court also pointed out that it is the duty of the state government to establish schools at a distance which is closest to the habitation and in case it is not possible then the government must provide transportation facilities. Interpretation of a rule should be done keeping in consideration the fact that Uttar Pradesh is a large state, availability of land and other resources, including financial, pointed out by the court. The court added that the government is bound to establish a school on the nearest possible place from a habitation and, in absence, it is obliged to ensure transportation facilities. The court pointed out that the neighbourhood schools would also include other than government schools. 'The obligation cast upon the State shall be scrupulously followed and the State is bound to ensure that no child is left out because of any action taken by the State,' the court said. 'It will be the duty of the Basic Shiksha Adhikari to ensure that no child is left out for being educated and all steps as are necessary shall be taken as and when required in accordance with law,' the court said. The case Fifty-one students from Sitapur – 50 from a primary school and one from the upper primary section – approached the high court challenging the June 16 order of the state government for the merger of primary schools across Uttar Pradesh. They moved the court through their guardian. A separate petition was filed by another primary student through his mother. The court clubbed both the petitions and delivered the common judgment. The petitioners opposed the merger of schools, stating that it will cause difficulties for children who will have to travel farther to reach their new schools, affecting their right to free and compulsory education. Additional advocate general (AAG) Anuj Kudesia and chief standing counsel (CSC) Shailendra Kumar Singh presented the state government's views in court. Senior advocate LP Mishra appeared on behalf of the petitioners.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Order for merger of primary schools: Petitioners' counsel alleges violation of Article 21A, UP govt justifies move
The counsel for petitioners argued before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court that the Uttar Pradesh government's order for the merger of primary schools violates Article 21A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years and a school within one km for a village having a population of 300. A govt primary school in Prayagraj region (HT File) On the other hand, the state government justified its decision, asserting that the step is in the larger interest of students and for better utilisation of its resources. The hearing will continue on Friday in the court of Justice Pankaj Bhatia. Fifty-one students from Sitapur – 50 from a primary school and one from the upper primary section – have approached the high court challenging the June 16 order of the state government for the merger of primary schools across UP. They approached the court through their guardian. They opposed the merger, stating that it will cause difficulties for children who will have to travel farther to reach their new schools, affecting their right to free and compulsory education. Senior advocate LP Mishra and Gaurav Mehrotra represented the petitioners in court. 'The Article 21A of the Indian Constitution, added by the 86th Amendment in 2002, guarantees the right to free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14,' said Mishra. 'It makes primary education a fundamental right. It makes the state duty bound to provide free and compulsory education to all eligible children, and this right cannot be waived,' Mishra added. 'This Article also mandates that the government will have to set up a primary school within one km for a population of every 300 people so that small children do not have to travel far to reach school,' added Mishra. 'The government is duty bound to create resources for schools within these parameters,' Mishra argued in court. On behalf of the state government, additional advocate general (AAG) Anuj Kudesia and chief standing counsel (CSC) Shailendra Kumar Singh argued in court. Senior advocate Sandeep Dixit represented the basic education department. Opposing the petition, AAG and CSC defended the state government's June 16 order of merger of primary schools. They argued that the government's decision is in the larger interest of students and for better utilisation of resources. The government counsel will continue their argument in court on Friday.
