Bhubaneswar, September 29 (newsalert24x7): There are some institutions that are merely buildings. There are others that become part of the social and educational memory of a city.

The Demonstration Multipurpose School (D.M. School) at the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, belongs to the latter category. Established in 1964, the school is an integral part of RIE Bhubaneswar and was created with a purpose extending beyond conventional schooling.

The institution was conceived as a centre where teaching-learning methods and educational practices could be developed, tested and demonstrated. RIE Bhubaneswar itself describes the D.M. School as a pace-setting institution participating in school-education research and serving teacher-training programmes.

And yet, a fundamental question now confronts Odisha:

Why is such an institution being considered for transfer from the NCERT system to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan?

Reports say an NCERT order dated August 7, 2026, constituted a committee to work out the modalities for handing over four PM SHRI Demonstration Multipurpose Schools — including Bhubaneswar — to KVS.

That makes this more than a routine administrative exercise. It is a question about the future identity, purpose and institutional autonomy of a school that has existed for more than six decades.

What Exactly Is the Government Trying to Achieve?

This is the first question that deserves a clear public answer.

  • Is the proposed transfer being undertaken because of an educational necessity?
  • Is it because of administrative efficiency?
  • Is there a financial rationale?
  • Is there an infrastructure-related problem?
  • Is the government seeking to expand KVS?
  • Or is there another reason that has not yet been placed before parents, teachers, alumni and the people of Odisha?

The public deserves to know the problem for which this merger is supposed to be the solution.

A government proposal affecting an institution of this historical and educational significance cannot be justified merely by saying that one central government institution is being brought under another. The government must explain the need, objective, expected outcome and measurable benefit of the proposed change.

D.M. School Is Not Simply Another School

This distinction is critical.

The official RIE Bhubaneswar website describes D.M. School as an integral part of RIE and says that it participates in research and development related to school education and supports teacher-training programmes.

Its admission system also has distinctive features. The school currently conducts computerised random selection for certain entry classes, while students from different sections of society are represented in the institution.

That raises another fundamental question:

  • If the administrative structure changes, what happens to the academic purpose for which the D.M. School was created?
  • Will it continue to function as a laboratory for educational experimentation?
  • Will RIE students continue to use it for teacher-training and practical exposure?
  • Will NCERT retain control over curriculum experimentation?
  • Will the present admission mechanism continue?
  • What happens to the existing teachers and their seniority?
  • What happens to students already enrolled?
  • And who will be responsible for protecting the school's unique institutional character?

These are not minor administrative details. They go to the heart of the proposal.

A KVS and an NCERT Demonstration School Are Not Necessarily the Same Thing

A KVS has its own mandate and administrative framework. A Demonstration Multipurpose School attached to an RIE has a different historical purpose.

Educationists quoted in recent reporting have specifically raised concerns that shifting the D.M. Schools to KVS could affect their autonomy in curriculum experimentation and teacher-training function.

There are also concerns about admissions. Reports have pointed out that the D.M. Schools currently use a random-selection mechanism, while KVS has its own admission framework and priorities.

Therefore, the government's responsibility is not merely to say that "the school will continue."

The real question is:

Will the institution that continues to exist still be the same institution in purpose, access, autonomy and educational function?

A change of administrative label is easy. Preserving institutional character is much harder.

Where Is the Stakeholder Consultation?

This may be the most important question of all.

Students and parents in Bhubaneswar have already protested against the proposed merger. Alumni have also raised objections. Similar opposition has been reported from students at the D.M. School in Bhopal.

This should prompt the authorities to pause and listen.

  • Before taking a decision affecting generations of students, how many parents were consulted?
  • How many teachers were consulted?
  • How many alumni were consulted?
  • Was RIE Bhubaneswar formally consulted?
  • Were former principals and educationists associated with the D.M. School consulted?
  • Was the Odisha government consulted?
  • Was any independent educational-impact assessment conducted?

And, most importantly:

Where is the public document explaining why the merger is necessary?

The Financial Question Cannot Be Ignored

There is another issue that requires complete transparency.

Recent reporting has said that under the proposed arrangement, NCERT may continue to bear salary, pension and infrastructure-related costs, while also paying KVS an overhead charge on salaries.

If this reporting is accurate, the government must explain the economics clearly.

  • If NCERT continues paying significant costs, what financial efficiency does the transfer actually achieve?
  • If there is no meaningful financial saving, what precisely is the administrative justification?
  • And if there is a financial saving, the government should publish the calculation.

Public institutions should not be reorganised on the basis of assumptions. The public has a right to see the numbers.

Do Not Erase an Institution Before Proving That It Needs to Be Changed

There is a tendency in administration to equate restructuring with reform. But restructuring is not automatically reform.

Sometimes reform means changing an institution. Sometimes reform means strengthening what already works.

D.M. School's official record speaks of its longstanding role in educational experimentation, teacher training and school education.

  • If the institution has weaknesses, identify them.
  • If infrastructure is inadequate, improve it.
  • If funding is insufficient, increase it.
  • If teacher vacancies exist, fill them.
  • If curriculum needs updating, update it.
  • If the school's research role has weakened, strengthen the partnership with NCERT and RIE.

But before dismantling or transferring an institution, the government must demonstrate why transfer is the appropriate remedy.

Odisha Deserves Answers, Not Administrative Silence

The proposed merger affects four NCERT Demonstration Multipurpose Schools across the country — Bhubaneswar, Ajmer, Bhopal and Mysuru. This therefore cannot be dismissed as a local administrative matter.

For Odisha, however, there is an additional dimension. D.M. School Bhubaneswar is part of the educational history of the capital city. RIE Bhubaneswar itself remains an NCERT constituent institution under the Ministry of Education.

Therefore, before any final decision, the following questions deserve public answers:

  1. What is the precise objective of transferring D.M. School to KVS?
  2. What educational problem does the proposed merger solve?
  3. What independent assessment has established that merger is necessary?
  4. What happens to the school's research and experimentation role?
  5. Will RIE continue to have unrestricted access to D.M. School for teacher training and educational research?
  6. Will the present admission system remain unchanged?
  7. What happens to existing students and future admissions?
  8. What happens to teachers' seniority, service conditions and career progression?
  9. What is the financial benefit, if any, of the proposed transfer?
  10. Who will own and maintain the land, buildings, laboratories and other assets?
  11. Why should NCERT continue bearing costs if operational control is transferred elsewhere?
  12. What formal consultation has taken place with parents, teachers, alumni and educationists?
  13. Has the Odisha government been formally consulted?
  14. Why was the proposal not subjected to a transparent public consultation before the process began?
  15. Will the government publish the committee's recommendations before taking a final decision?

The Question Is Not Whether KVS Is a Good Institution

This debate should not be reduced to NCERT versus KVS. Both institutions have important roles in India's education system.

The question is much more fundamental:

Why should an institution created for a particular educational purpose be moved into a different administrative structure without first demonstrating that the move will preserve — or improve — that purpose?

That is the question the government must answer.

The issue is not about protecting a building. It is about protecting institutional purpose. It is about whether six decades of educational experimentation, teacher training, community access and institutional identity can simply be transferred through an administrative order.

Before the File Moves, Let the Facts Come Out

The government has an opportunity to remove every doubt.

  • Publish the proposal.
  • Publish the committee's mandate.
  • Publish the financial calculations.
  • Publish the educational-impact assessment.
  • Publish the consultation record.
  • Explain the future of the students and teachers.
  • Explain the future of RIE's teacher-training programme.
  • And explain, in plain language, why this merger is necessary.

Until those questions are answered, the people of Odisha are entitled to ask:

What is the compelling reason behind this merger, and whose educational interest does it serve?

A government confident in its decision should have no difficulty answering those questions.

D.M. School has survived for more than six decades because it was created with a purpose. Any decision that changes its institutional identity must be judged not by the convenience of administration, but by whether that original purpose will survive.

The government owes that answer to the students, parents, teachers, alumni and people of Odisha.

— Abhishek Mahananda

Editor in Chief: NewsAlert24x7

An Alumni of D.M. School, BBSR