Thousands of Odisha schools shut under rationalization drive, tribal children worst hit

Thousands of government schools across Odisha have been shut down under the state’s school rationalization policy, leaving many tribal and rural children without access to nearby education.

Official data shows that since 2013, about 10,000 schools have been closed or merged with neighboring institutions, including 5,632 in the past five years.

In Rayagada district alone, 121 schools have been shut down, according to School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond’s statement in the State Assembly in March 2025.

The closures have hit remote and tribal areas the hardest, where private education options are limited and long travel distances discourage attendance.

In Karapadi village of Rayagada’s Bissamcuttack block, the Government Primary School was closed in 2017–18 after student numbers fell below 20.

The building now functions as a polling booth and storage shed, while children wander aimlessly during school hours.

“Either I send my daughter to a hostel and let her study on her own, or she remains illiterate. I am worried that my youngest son could face a similar fate. Had our village school not been shut down, my kids would have studied while staying with us,” said 45-year-old mason Laxman Kalaka, a resident of Karapadi.

In surrounding villages such as Kumbia and Madhuaguda, shuttered schools tell similar stories. Many parents have turned to residential institutions run by the ST and SC Development Department, which provide free food, uniforms, and accommodation.

However, these schools are overcrowded and under-resourced. The Government Residential School at Padabai, serving multiple villages, has only three teachers and one matron for 309 students, including 280 boarders.

Odisha currently operates 1,737 residential schools and 5,500 hostels for about 4.5 lakh Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students, including nearly 3 lakh girls.

But activists say the closures have increased dropouts. In 2025–26, Rayagada district reported 18,251 dropouts, compared with fewer than 100 in previous years.

“Had there been a school in the village, a teacher could have looked after the students when parents were away for work. Once a school shuts down, parents rarely manage to send their children regularly to a distant school,” said Right to Education activist Anil Pradhan.

He added that the state’s reliance on enrollment data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) for closure decisions ignores the ground realities of tribal regions.

“The government should consult communities, parents, and local representatives before taking such steps,” he said.

For many families across Rayagada and other districts, the policy has meant one thing: the loss of a child’s chance to study close to home.