Lucknow, July 2 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to merge primary schools, calling it unjust and detrimental to the poor and marginalised sections of society.

“The decision taken by the Basic Education Council of the Uttar Pradesh government to close several schools under the guise of pairing or integrating primary schools is neither fair nor justified. It undermines the accessible and affordable government education system that benefits crores of poor children by providing schooling near their homes. This move appears to be anti-poor, unnecessary, and unfair at first glance,” Mayawati said in a post on X.

She appealed to the government to immediately withdraw the school merger policy in the larger interest of underprivileged students.

The BSP chief assured poor families that if her party comes to power, the decision will be reversed and the earlier system will be restored.

“However, it is expected that the UP government will reconsider this policy sympathetically, keeping in mind the wider interest of education for the poor and common people,” she hoped.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has also opposed the merger move. He said the SP stands firmly against it, warning that if schools are located far from homes, it will especially affect girls’ education.

“How will daughters travel long distances to attend school?” he asked, accusing the BJP government of trying to reduce the number of schools under the pretext of restructuring.

“This is a conspiracy to avoid recruiting teachers and staff. It will damage the education system, particularly for girls,” he said.

The Congress has also raised strong objections. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai has written to Governor Anandiben Patel, urging her to intervene.

In his letter, Rai said: “Merging schools will deprive children from common families of their right to education.”

He accused the state government of implementing arbitrary and anti-people policies in the education sector, which are causing immense hardship to ordinary families.

–IANS

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