Goa, July 21 -- JOHN DAYAL

The closure or merger of small government schools has become one of the least discussed but most significant changes in Indian education. It rarely attracts national head lines or mass protests at Jantar Mantar near Parliament House, yet for many rural communi ties, it changes children's lives in ways that cannot be measured simply through administrative efficiency. Across several states, particu larly those with declining enrol ment or scattered populations, governments have consolidated schools under policies common ly described as "rationalisation." The stated objective is that instead of operating numerous schools with very small enrol ments, resources can be con centrated in larger institutions expected to...