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The government of Uttar Pradesh has reversed some of its important primary school merger policy. This is against the backdrop of increasing outrage among villages whose pupils were to have longer distances to walk to school or hazardous routes after small schools are closed.

Not more than one kilometre between any government school and another will be consolidated from now on. Furthermore, no school with over 50 students will be permitted to alter its size, the Basic Education Department stipulated in new guidelines.

RULES TO ENSURE SAFER, CLOSER ACCESS TO SCHOOLS

Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh validated it, stating it was done to ensure students' ease of access to education. "We are keeping in view the convenience, safety and education of the children," he added.

The state had earlier rigidly promoted a merger drive to integrate the school chain in dispersed enrolling villages. But it faced resistance from teachers' unions and panchayats upset that closures would contribute to the difficulty for children, particularly in far-flung villages, to go to school every day.

And then exceptions have been made by the government. Schools separated by a railway line, a river, or a road will not be consolidated, albeit one kilometre from another school.

Vacant school buildings will also not sit idle. These will be utilized to operate Anganwadi centres or Balvatika units for pre-primary education, retaining the facility occupied by smaller children in the region.

The previous policy of consolidation had confused and frightened the air in much of the state. Parents were not certain whether their neighborhood schools would close, and some believed their children would have to travel far or even traverse dangerous ground to go to a school elsewhere.

With the cuts, the government is attempting to set things right by reducing school facilities where required but not removing the minimum access. The teachers' unions too appreciated the step, terming it as a 'corrective measure'.

In most areas, even a few more kilometres to school can lead children, and particularly girls, to leave school. This new policy would be able to make a tangible difference in getting more children into classrooms, near their homes, safe, and in school.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has modified its affiliation bye-laws to make it mandatory that the total number of sections in a school will be allowed based on the overall built-up carpet area of the school building, officials said.

The board has further decided that schools will be permitted an equal number of sections in the secondary level and in the senior secondary level.

"The board has also been getting complaints from the schools and stakeholders that there are places where there is a severe lack of land availability, because of which sometimes the schools encounter functional hardships in adding additional sections beyond the allowed limit, even when new admissions are in demand.".

"The schools also struggle to achieve the section student ratio of 1:40 under pressure for fresh admissions, but cannot open more sections because of the ceiling of admissible sections under land criteria," CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta added.

Gupta added that the board has now gone ahead and determined the maximum number of sections in a school to be allowed based on the school building's total built-up carpet area.

"The floor area of the school building calculated by adding up carpet area has to be verified by a licensed architect or the local body, as the case be. The area of land shall be used only for determining the category of the schools--Branch School, Middle Level School, Secondary Level and Senior Secondary Level under affiliation bye-laws," he said.

"The school will be permitted an equal number of sections at senior secondary level and at secondary level. The overall number of sections available at secondary level--class 9 and 10 and at senior secondary level--class 11 and 12, will be limited at every level to one-fourth of the overall number of sections being operated in the school from Balvatika to class 10 and 12," he added.

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has not held back criticism of what he described as attempts to saffronize the education sector in the guise of bringing in the National Education Policy (NEP).

His remarks came in the wake of the row surrounding the 'Jnan Sabha' programme, a convocation for higher education which was held in Ernakulam. The function was convened by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, an organisation belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had attended.

The admission of five vice-chancellors from Kerala universities into the program infuriated the minister severely. "The news that the vice-chancellors of five universities in the state are participating in the program with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at its head is highly disturbing. Universities should be independent and unbiased," Sivankutty said.

He advised that educational institutions not be politicized, saying, "Using institutions that should concentrate on academic excellence and research for political purposes will have far-reaching implications."

The minister emphasized that the education sector should not be brought under the influence of the dictates of any one ideology or political agenda. "Attempts to place the education sector under the domination of any particular ideology or political agenda are unacceptable under all circumstances. Education must be accessible and secular for all," he declared.

Sivankutty also expressed dismay over attempts by certain organisations to politicise education policies for their agendas. "It is distressing that certain organisations are attempting to twist education policies in line with their interests."

Reaffirming the position of the state government, the minister said, "The state government remains committed to safeguarding the general education sector and the higher education sector in Kerala. The government is keen on having an education system that holds fast to the basic principles of the Constitution and democratic values."

He concluded by saying that the Kerala people will resist any effort to impose ideological control over education. "The people in Kerala will take all necessary steps to resist and vanquish the saffronisation attempts and maintain the secular character of the education sector."

New admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) have fallen to the five-year low, revealed numbers put in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Numbers presented by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to MPs BK Parthasarathi and Sudha R were new entries, 1.95 lakh in 2020-21, dropped to 1.83 lakh in 2021-22 and then to 1.58 lakh in 2022-23.Although it increased to 1.75 lakh in 2023–2024, it dropped to a pathetic 1.39 lakh during the current academic year (2024–25).

The overall number of pupils registered in India's 1,280 Kendriya Vidyalayas fell from 13.88 lakh in 2020–21 to 13.5 lakh this year throughout this period.

Originally established for the children of transferable central government officers, Kendriya Vidyalaya is one of India's most renowned government schools.

Incidentally, falling enrollment continues to be the Centre's bane as it approved, in December 2023, the establishment of 85 new Kendriya Vidyalayas. The schools, along with an extension to one already existing KV at Shivamogga, Karnataka, will come up at a cost of almost ?5,872 crore.

Budgetary spending to KVS, however, continued to increase; the estimates rose from ?6,437.68 crore in 2020-21 to ?8,727 crore in 2024-25.

Union Education Ministry also issued a caution recently regarding falling admissions in government schools in general. Previously, while deliberating on the PM-POSHAN (midday meal) scheme in this year, States and Union Territories were requested to inquire into the cause of falling enrollment at the primary and upper-primary level in 23 subjects and submit a comprehensive report.

The state government has redesigned the house uniform given to the students at elementary level under Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM Shri) and Gangadhar Meher Sikhya Manakbrudhi Yojana. The identity card given to the Class I to VIII students will be also updated from the existing academic calendar.

Sources also informed that the current logo 'Ame Gadhibu Nua Odisha' of green colour, has now been modified as 'Bidyavant Vidyarthi, Bikashit Odisha' with orange, yellow and red shades. The same would now be printed on the house uniforms and caps given to the primary and upper primary students.

Besides this, the students will also receive redesigned identity cards in orange color, having information such as name, class, date of birth, roll number and contact details.

According to the letter that the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) has sent to all district education officers (DEOs), the newly redesigned students' kits to be distributed among students will consist of a T-shirt, track pants, cap, shoes and two pairs of socks. `500 per student has been sanctioned for this purpose.

The house system has been implemented in government and government-aided schools from 2023 academic year with the aim to develop team spirit, healthy competition and to generate the sense of belongingness among the students. The attire for the system consists of T-shirts of four hues - red, yellow, green, and blue - and blue track trousers.

During the last academic year, the state government has replaced the colour of school uniforms for students of Class IX and X. There was a mixture of light brown, chocolate and clay baked yellow colours introduced for the students to replace a mixture of green and white, which supposedly conformed to the colour code of BJD's party symbol

Class 10 students in Karnataka don't have to worry anymore! Karnataka School Examination and Evaluation Board (KSEEB) has reduced passing marks of SSLC from 35% to 33% with the objective of easing pressure on the students and achieving more pass percentages.

As per the new rule, the students now have to obtain at least 206 of 625 (internal and external exams) to pass. There is a catch, however â€" they also have to obtain at least 30% of all the written exams of the subjects, i.e., 24 of 80 marks.

This amendment, as part of the draft Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (Amendment) 2025 rules, was released on July 25, 2025, in the state gazette. The rule is expected to become gazetted after 15 days' objection period during which parents, teachers and the general public can provide their comments.

WHAT'S CHANGING IN SSLC PASSING RULES?

Decreased passing marks from 35% to 33%

Minimum 206 out of 625 marks to qualify

30% marks as a minimum in the written test in all subjects

Transition becomes active from the academic year 2025–26

The transformation is made according to the recommendation of KSEAB so that it can be at par with the level of CBSE. The government did not, however, implement the recommendation of cutting down the total marks in the first language subject from 125 to 100 and overall stands at 625.

School management associations welcomed the new regulation in a positive manner but sought clarifications on passing marks at the subject level.

The amendment would enable more backward and rural students to pass the SSLC exam with minimum quality standards, officials said.