CPI(ML) has welcomed the recent order of the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench, which stayed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to merge certain government primary schools in Sitapur and called for the same relief to be extended across the entire state.
In its response to the court’s directive, the CPI(ML) Uttar Pradesh unit stated that the state government’s arbitrary decision to merge schools has caused significant difficulties for school-going children, especially in rural areas. In many places, nearby schools have been merged with far-off ones, forcing children to cross highways, railway tracks and travel long distance. This has led to many dropping out, with girl students being disproportionately affected. The party emphasized that closing thousands of schools in the name of mergers is a violation of the Right to Education and an attack on the education of poor children.
CPI(ML) noted that the situation in Sitapur is not unique, and similar issues are being reported from other districts as well. The party urged the court to take suo motu cognizance of the widespread impact of school mergers and to impose a stay on the government’s decision throughout the state, in order to protect the constitutional right to accessible education.
Improving education quality should not mean shutting down schools, CPI(ML) said. Instead, the focus must be on upgrading infrastructure and facilities in existing schools to ensure better access and quality of education for all.
