School consolidation and educational equity: impact on access and learning outcomes among tribal children (6–14 years) in rural Odisha, India

This study examines how school consolidation (merging smaller schools) affects tribal children aged 6–14 in rural Odisha, India. Through interviews and focus groups with parents, students, teachers, and community members, researchers found that consolidation increased distance to school and created safety concerns, leading to higher dropout rates and irregular attendance. Teachers reported inadequate infrastructure and resources in the merged schools. The study concludes that the merger policy is worsening educational equity rather than improving it for tribal children.

Key points

• Increased distance to consolidated schools and safety concerns reduced educational continuity, particularly for younger children and girls
• School consolidation resulted in higher dropout rates and irregular attendance among students
• Consolidated schools had inadequate infrastructure, insufficient educational resources, and increased teacher workload
• Parents, students, teachers, and community members expressed dissatisfaction with the school merger policy
• The current merger policy is undermining rather than eliminating educational disparities among tribal children

Limitations

This qualitative study relies on stakeholder perspectives and does not provide quantitative data on dropout rates, attendance changes, or learning outcome measurements. The study is geographically limited to Balangir District in Odisha and may not be generalizable to other regions or contexts.