India, Feb. 27 -- The state government's revised teacher appointment policy has raised serious concerns over the future of schools with low student enrolment. Under the new guidelines, teacher posts are directly linked to student numbers, leaving approximately 14,985 schools with fewer than 20 students in grades 6 to 8 without any sanctioned teaching staff.

While teachers' associations argue that the policy does not explicitly mandate the closure of these institutions, it effectively renders them non-functional, raising critical questions about access to education, particularly in remote areas.

The state is currently conducting the 'Sanch Manyata' process, where teacher positions are sanctioned based on student enrolment data submitted ...