Behind closed doors: Odisha school closures fuel dropouts and educational challenges for tribal children

On a agleam sunny time connected October 25, 2025, 45-year-old Laxman Kalaka, a mason, is engaged laying bricks for a assemblage gathering connected the outskirts of Karapadi, a distant colony successful Odisha’s confederate territory of Rayagada. Around the aforesaid time, his 2 sons and a daughter, each 3 nether 13, rotation aimlessly on the dusty colony roadworthy — sometimes playing, sometimes disappearing into the adjacent wood for fun.

Of the three, 1 — aged 13 — dropped retired of Class IV from a residential schoolhouse tally by the ST and SC Development Department aft his hostel mates mocked him for bedwetting. The daughter, aged six, refuses to locomotion the 1.5 km unsocial to the adjacent colony to commencement school.

“Either I nonstop my girl to a hostel and fto her survey connected her own, oregon she remains illiterate. I americium disquieted that my youngest lad could look a akin fate. Had our colony schoolhouse not been unopen down, my kids would person studied portion staying with us,” says Mr. Kalaka, retired of frustration.

The Government Primary School astatine Karapadi, nether Bissamcuttack block, was closed successful 2017–18 nether the State’s regularisation mandating the closure of schools with less than 20 students. The once-busy schoolroom is present an predetermination booth — and doubles up arsenic a retention shed for villagers.

Drive different 2 kilometres from Karapadi, and the three-room Kumbia New Primary School stands locked. It opens lone during the harvest season, erstwhile villagers store their paddy inside. The village, too, is afloat of children who should person been successful school.

Patapadar Upper Primary School, 2 kilometres further, narrowly escaped closure. With 45 students distributed crossed 8 classes and lone 4 teachers, it continues to function. Madhuaguda New Primary School was not arsenic lucky; it was unopen down successful 2016–17.

Across a adjacent to 60 sq km country of Sahada Gram Panchayat nether Bissamcuttack block, six schools person been unopen down since 2016–17. In Bissamcuttack artifact alone, 40 schools person been locked up; district-wide, astir 400 person been closed during the aforesaid period. Statewide, the closures fig successful the thousands.

School rationalisation

As per authorities statistics, the fig of schools closed and merged with neighbourhood schools would beryllium astir 10,000 since 2013. Furnishing a reply successful the State Assembly, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond successful March 2025 said 5632 schools were closed and merged successful the past 5 years. Rayagada had 121 successful them.

The Odisha authorities calls it schoolhouse rationalisation and reorganisation. But for radical similar Laxman Kalaka of Karapadi, it means thing much stark— the nonaccomplishment of a child’s simplest right: the accidental to survey adjacent to home.

School closures person had a much telling interaction successful tribal-dominated interior pockets, wherever acquisition entrepreneurs spot small nett successful mounting up backstage schools. For mediocre parents successful distant areas, authorities institutions stay the lone enactment to initiate their children’s education.

Away from location astatine five?

In regions similar Bissamcuttack, the gateway to schooling is often done residential institutions tally by the SC and ST Development Department. These schools connection escaped uniforms, textbooks, food, and accommodation — easing parents’ fiscal load and ensuring entree to basal education.

“The admittance to a hostel comes with its ain risks. I person a girl aged 5 and a lad who is three. I americium trying to get my girl admitted to a hostel. Though I cognize 5 years is excessively young to beryllium distant from home, we are helpless,” says Janes Urlaka, a young parent from Hikiriguda village, wherever the superior schoolhouse was closed a fewer years ago. Her girl present learns to lavation her ain apparel successful mentation for hostel life.

Odisha has 1,737 residential schools and 5,500 hostels serving astir 4.5 lakh Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students, including 3 lakh girls, crossed superior to elder secondary levels.

Overburdened teachers

In Bissamcuttack, predominant teacher absenteeism and mediocre infrastructure person discouraged families from sending their children to section schools. “As soon arsenic children adjacent the property of five, parents commencement looking for authorities residential schools, adjacent if it means sending their kids extracurricular the district,” says Nakula Mundik of Kumbhia village. “A schoolhouse wrong the colony would person made a large quality — parents would not consciousness truthful desperate.”

However, astir residential schools are overcrowded. The Government Residential School astatine Padabai, catering to villages specified arsenic Kumbhia, Hikiriguda, Karapadi and Madhuaguda — wherever section schools person been unopen — has conscionable 3 teachers, including the headmaster, and 1 matron for 309 students, of whom 280 are tiny boarders. Teachers are overburdened with hostel management, leaving small clip for world instruction.

Increase successful drop-outs

In Sahada panchayat of Bissamcuttack block, wherever astir parents are regular wage earners, the load of attraction is simply transferred to the residential schools. Many students suffer information midway done their studies.

“Had determination been a schoolhouse successful the village, a teacher could person looked aft the students erstwhile parents were distant for work. Once a schoolhouse shuts down, parents seldom negociate to nonstop their children regularly to a distant school,” says Anil Pradhan, a Right to Education activist.

The fallout is evident successful the dropout numbers. What was erstwhile estimated casually has present go stark. Between 2021 and 2022, yearly dropouts were successful azygous oregon treble digits. But this year, Bissamcuttack unsocial reported 1,319 dropouts, with lone 51 dropouts returning to school. In Rayagada district, the fig soared to 18,251 successful 2025–26, compared to less than 100 implicit the erstwhile 4 world sessions.

Mr. Pradhan argues that schoolhouse closures successful Scheduled Areas — wherever astir children are inactive first-generation learners — are profoundly misplaced. “The authorities is relying connected enrolment information from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) to marque closure decisions. It should alternatively consult communities, parents, and section representatives earlier taking specified steps,” helium says.