Jaipur, Nov. 6 -- After merging a total 449 schools earlier this year, the education department is all set to merge another 312 schools in a drive early next year, state education minister Madan Dilawar said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, he said, "A total 155 senior secondary schools with less than 25 enrolments and another 157 primary schools with less than 5 enrolments or zero enrolments have been identified to be merged next year. The decision has been taken after a two-year-long effort to increase their enrolments. However, it remained constantly low." The minister further added that the department has found that those schools are majorly located in areas where many other government schools are being run for a long time and therefore the students prefer to visit there. "These 312 schools will be merged to their nearby schools only. It should not be very far. Our survey is underway to identify the suitable schools for their merging. It is expected to be done by early next year," Dilawar added. Within 10 days between January 7 to January 16 this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Rajasthan government had merged a total 449 schools with "better-performing schools" in their vicinity. The government cited low enrolment (fewer than 15 students under the Rajasthan government policy), separate schools on the same campus and schools close to each other among the reasons behind the move. The project was first initiated in Rajasthan by former CM Vasundhara Raje in 2014....