Bhubaneswar: The proposed closure of Bhubaneswar’s Demonstration Multipurpose School (DM School) and its merger with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has triggered strong opposition from students, parents and alumni, who have urged the Centre to reconsider the move and preserve the institution’s distinct identity and legacy.The parents staged a demonstration against the decision of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday amid the move to transfer four PM SHRI Demonstration Multipurpose Schools, including in Bhubaneswar, to KVS. They also met the school authorities, which assured them of looking into the matter.As per an NCERT order issued on Aug 7, a committee was constituted to work out the modalities for handing over the four schools — in Bhubaneswar, Ajmer, Bhopal and Mysuru — to the KVS. The one-month deadline given to the committee to submit its report on the proposed transfer ended on Monday.Parents questioned the move, pointing out that the DM School, Bhubaneswar, established in 1964, was set up as an experimental and pace-setting school attached to the Regional Institute of Education. Such schools were intended to serve as centres for trying out innovative teaching practices, supporting educational research and providing practical training to teacher trainees.Over the years, the DM School, Bhubaneswar, has played a role in research and development in school education and teacher training in the eastern region, and currently caters to thousands of students.Parents said the school has a longstanding legacy and alleged that the decision to transfer it to the KVS was taken without adequate consultation with the students and other stakeholders.The DM School alumni association has also opposed the proposal. At an emergency meeting held recently, the alumni discussed the proposed transfer and subsequently submitted a detailed representation to the Union education minister and NCERT director, seeking withdrawal of the proposal. The alumni said any decision affecting the institution’s future should be taken only after wider consultation with former students, teachers, parents and the school community.