IN December, Madhya Pradesh's School Education Department found that 7.37 lakh children in the state have no school records at all. They are not enrolled in any school – private or government. Statewide, 11.38 lakh children fall under the "Drop Box" category. Further, if the Centre can seek to influence State school education by making Central fund allocation for schools conditional on NEP implementation, and also impose a language policy, it can certainly step in against school closures, if it wants to. State school education has several stakeholders: government, teachers, students/parents as well as civil society including workers and farmers.