The Orissa High Court has asked the State Government to furnish a justification for the latter’s decision to close and consolidate 7,772 schools in the State.
The court has given time till December; this interjection by the court is the outcome of a year and a half long struggle involving the RTE Forum, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), parents associations, the Mass Education Department and the High Court. The schools earmarked to be shut down are those where less than 20 students are enrolled. This is going to be disastrous for nearly 80,000 children mostly from the Adivasi and Dalit communities.
As of now 4,480 schools already have been merged in the State. On March 11, 2020, the Odisha School and Mass Education Department issued a notification for closure and merger of over 8,000 primary and elementary schools. They said that schools with poor strength i.e. less than 20 and 25 students will be merged with nearby schools with bigger strength and robust infrastructure. The plan was to merge around 7,772 schools of which 1,724 schools had less than 25 students and 6,048 schools had less than 20 students. This would have affected those children who are in remote areas and can only afford to go to schools close by.
To oppose school closure in the State, the Odisha RTE Forum took up the issue with different political parties with a petition highlighting the negative impact it would have on the most marginalised children dependent up on schools available in remote locations. In May 2021, Justice Dr BR Sarangi ordered an interim stay on closure and merger of schools and ordered the State Government to restore closed schools. The State has till end of September to provide a justification of closure of schools.
In the earlier affidavit submitted by the Government to High Court it was mentioned that the Government has already spent Rs 74.88 crore of fund for school consolidation and till date it has not received any complaint from any front on school merger and closure.
4,480 schools have already been consolidated without any grievance, claims the Government. The Government of Odisha has set up a grievance redressal cell and a portal, as well, for submission of grievances from parents in areas where schools are being closed.
In Odisha, 22% population is tribal and 7.8% population is Dalit. As per the survey conducted by Odisha RTE Forum, in Odisha only 33% children could attend digital education during Covid pandemic. So those who couldn’t attend classes due to classes going digital since March 2020 might end up not having a school to go to once the classes begin.
The spate of school mergers began in 2017 when the NITI Aayog launched its SATH-E (Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education) programme. The SATH-E aimed at consolidation and rationalisation of schools operational in three States —Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
These mergers and consolidation is in violation of Section 3 of the Right To Education (RTE) Act which guarantees providing school to every children in the neighbourhood area and Section 8 which commits that it is the duty of the Government to make it possible. Instead of analysing the reasons for poor enrolment and finding innovative ways of bringing out of school children to school, they have found the easier way to shut down schools instead in the name of merger. In Odisha merely 6.6% of the schools are compliant to the ten parameter of RTE provisions.
Last year, while defending the notification School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das had informed that the State Assembly that those children, whose schools will be shut, will get a one-time financial assistance of Rs 3,000 (for admission in the next nearby bigger school) and Rs 300 per month for upto 10 months for monthly transportation facility.
But this is not adequate for children in remote locations where transportation facilities are not available and financial assistance will not help them to pursue education far away from their homes. For one, small children who otherwise could go on their own to a school close to home will be pulled out of school if they have to cross highways, forests, rivers etc to reach a larger, well equipped school. It will be worse for girls who will drop out of school due to safety issues. And then the question arises as to what happens after 10 months?
According to the RTE Act, schools have to be provided to all children in their own neighbourhood which means for every child primary school should be provided within a periphery of 1 km and for every upper primary schools it should be within 3 km. In Odisha, where many children are facing problems in accessing school the Government should put all effort to improve school infrastructure and quality so that enrolment can be improved in schools.
Moreover, the Government needs to rethink the policy in the light of Covid-19 and the lockdowns. There is an urgent need to restore the classes and in all schools possible so that no child is left out. This is adversely going to affect children from the marginalised communities, Dalits and Adivasis and girls.
The scenario has changed drastically post-pandemic and it is imperative for the State Governments to take a fresh guard and back schools with adequate resources. Shutting them is definitely not the option here.
(The writer, who works with Oxfam India, is passionate about child rights. He works on education, health and fighting inequality)