Lucknow, July 6 -- The Uttar Pradesh Primary Teachers' Association on Sunday intensified its criticism of the state government's school merger policy, claiming that the basic education department's decision to close all schools with fewer than 50 students will hinder rural children's easy access to education.

To press their demands, the association has urged all stakeholders to stage a sit-in (dharna) at the district basic education office concerned across the state on July 8.

Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of the primary teachers' association, alleged that the state government, by merging or pairing schools in the name of consolidating infrastructure and manpower, is depriving children aged 6 to 14 of free and compulsory education. ...