LUCKNOW, July 2 -- Members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest in Lucknow on Tuesday against the state government's decision to merge government primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 students. Led by NSUI central zone president Anas Rehman and eastern zone chief Rishabh Pandey, the protesters marched from the State Congress Office towards Vidhan Sabha, but were stopped by police near Mall Avenue. A scuffle broke out when demonstrators tried to break through barricades, according to the NSUI press release. NSUI claimed the move could lead to the closure of around 27,000 schools, affecting children from rural and economically weaker backgrounds. They submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, demanding the withdrawal of the plan, better infrastructure in government schools, and transparency in education policy. The organisation warned of state-wide agitation if the decision is not rolled back, accusing the government of pushing privatisation of education. Apni Janata Party chief Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday took pot shots at the Bharatiya Janata Party government in UP over its recent order of merger of schools with less than 50 students, alleging it was an attempt to hand over education into private hands. "There are plans to close primary and upper primary schools with less than 50 students. The government is calling it 'school merger', but the ground reality is something else. Such decisions can endanger the future of education in rural areas, especially for the children of poor, Dalit, tribal anwd backward classes," he said speaking at a press conference at his residence here. The former minister said the decision will deprive thousands of children of education. "Moreover, it will have a huge impact on girls who may drop out by 90% in rural areas while 50% of the boys may drop out after this merger," added Maurya....