The School & Mass Education Department had issued a notification in March 2020 to close the schools having less than 20 students and merge those with nearby schools. Following the government notification, the Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangh had filed a PIL in the High Court.
In response to the PIL, the High Court on March 30 issued an interim stay on the decision of the state government to close down 11,560 primary schools and directed the government to take a decision in this regard within 15 days.