On June 16, 2025, the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department issued an order stating that all government primary schools with fewer than 50 students would be merged with nearby schools. This decision threatens the closure of 27,264 schools across the state, with around 5,000 schools already shut down as part of the process. In response, 51 students from Sitapur filed a petition in the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, arguing that the move violates the Right to Education (Article 21A) and will negatively affect access to education in rural areas. However, on July 7, the court dismissed the petition, siding with the government. The government's justification is resource optimization—claiming it will improve efficiency by consolidating sparsely populated schools. But critics argue this will increase the distance between children’s homes and schools, potentially leading to higher dropout rates. Furthermore, the livelihoods of over 1.35 lakh assistant teachers, 27,000 headmasters, along with thousands of contractual staff like shikshamitras (para-teachers) and mid-day meal cooks are at risk.