Haryana Government Puts Merger of 832 Schools on Hold Amidst Political Sensitivity

The Haryana government has temporarily suspended its decision to merge 832 government schools, reflecting concerns over potential political ramifications, especially with impending Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has personally taken charge of the matter, putting the file on hold. The move to consolidate schools was already in an advanced stage, with preparations for merging 7,349 students into other schools.

The government, anticipating opposition backlash, is contemplating either delaying or entirely scrapping the merger plan to avoid providing adversaries with an education-centric issue ahead of the elections. Additionally, to address concerns of students from the previously merged schools, the government is preparing to offer transportation facilities to ease their commute. The plan involves extending transportation to students residing within a 3 km radius from the schools, administered by school authorities and management committees.

In a bid to resolve grievances of parents and students affected by previous mergers, the government plans to provide transportation facilities. The schools' heads and management committees have been authorised to manage the transportation, and funds for transportation expenses will be directly allocated to school accounts by the government.

Furthermore, to ease the financial burden on parents, the government has devised a strategy to offer free transportation starting from February. Under this initiative, various modes of transportation, including Haryana Roadways buses and autos, will be included.

The government is gearing up to implement this transportation facility swiftly, and stringent directives have been issued to education department officials by Sudhir Rajpal, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department. The move aims to start providing transportation facilities to children as early as next month.

Moreover, the government has outlined a plan to ensure that if any students from merged schools decide to commute independently by renting their own transportation, the government will reimburse them directly to alleviate the economic burden caused by school mergers. The government is carefully navigating the situation, aiming to balance educational reforms with political considerations.