Rationalisation of Exclusion: Examining the Impacts of School Closure and Merger Scheme in Odisha

In November 2020, the Government of Odisha (GoO) notified the closure and merger of 14,000 elementary schools in the state under a new policy initiative of the NITI Aayog named Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E). It was reported that: ‘With poor enrollment being a major concern, the School and Mass Education Department had earlier identified around 14,000 schools having enrollment of 20 or less for their merger with nearby schools in the State’ (New Indian Express, 2020). Enraged by the arbitrary decision, thousands of parents and their wards took to the street demanding immediate rollback of the decision. The public sentiment sparked off a furore, and the opposition parties extended their
support and demanded immediate withdrawal of the policy.