Stating that schools with fewer students are struggling to provide proper education and foster social connections between students and teachers, the state government is pushing forward with its plan to create cluster schools. Over 14,000 schools with student populations lower than 20 across the state are likely to be shut down and merged into cluster schools.

In a concerted effort, the state school education department issued a comprehensive circular on Thursday, outlining criteria to implement this policy. The Maharashtra government aims to close primary and secondary schools with enrollments of 20 students or fewer, with affected students and teachers being relocated to the nearest available schools or a cluster school.