Bhubaneswar, 5 December (H.S.): The Odisha government has merged a total of 5,633 schools with nearby lead schools over the past five years due to consistently low student enrolment. This was stated by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond in the State Assembly on Friday.

Responding to a question from Congress MLA Ram Chandra Kadam (Pottangi), the minister said the mergers were carried out in accordance with the department’s notification No. 5465 issued on March 11, 2020, and the subsequent amendment No. 18905 dated December 14, 2020.

Gond clarified that the decision is part of the state’s larger school rationalisation initiative aimed at optimising educational infrastructure and improving the learning environment for students. Schools with significantly low enrolment have been consolidated with better-equipped lead schools to enhance overall academic quality, he added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda