SP(I) Condemns the Government’s Destructive Policy of Shutting Down Government Schools Across India

The Socialist Party (India) registers its fiercest protest and issues a strong condemnation against the ruling government for its systematic destruction of the public education sector. The latest provisional UDISE+ 2025–26 data exposes an institutional massacre of primary and upper primary schools, stripping the poorest children of India of their fundamental right to learn.

We view the government’s policy of school “mergers,” “closures,” and “rationalization” as an open war on rural, poor, and tribal families. This is not administrative efficiency, it is a calculated withdrawal of the state from its constitutional duty to educate its citizens.

The Scale of Destruction:

Shocking Figures Exposing Government Failure.

• The official data lays bare the catastrophic reality under this administration’s watch: Over 8,000 Government Schools Wiped Out: An estimated 8,000+ public schools have been shut down or merged during 2025–26 alone.
• Massive All-Management Closures: 4,791 schools have completely ceased to exist across the country.
• 11.89 Crore Students Left Vulnerable: The future of nearly 12 crore children studying in 10.13 Lakh government schools hangs in the balance as the safety net of public education shrinks.

Top 10 States Bearing the Brunt of Government Apathy:

The ruling administration’s policies have led to widespread school closures, with these ten states suffering the worst damage of closure of schools

1. Madhya Pradesh: 2,426 schools
2. Telangana: 1,392 schools
3. West Bengal: 568 schools
4. Andhra Pradesh: 474 schools
5. Tamil Nadu: 369 schools
6. Karnataka: 281 schools
7. Himachal Pradesh: 266 schools
8. Maharashtra: 239 schools
9. Odisha: 193 schools
10. Uttar Pradesh: 183 schools

A Direct Assault on Rural and Tribal India:

The Socialist Party (India) strongly denounces the severe socio-economic hardships inflicted upon marginalized communities by these closures:

• Forced Long-Distance Commutes: Small children are now forced to walk miles to reach the nearest school, creating massive safety risks.
• Spike in Dropout Rates: This policy directly triggers a severe drop in enrollment and a sharp rise in dropouts, targeting young girls the hardest.
• Destruction of Foundational Learning: By shutting physical schools, the government is deliberately weakening the foundational literacy and numeracy of our youth.
• Economic Exploitation of Families: Poor families are being forced into deeper financial distress or left with no choice but to abandon their children’s education entirely.

Demands to the Ruling Government:

The closure of schools is the closure of human opportunities. Education is a Fundamental Right, not a profit-driven privilege. The Socialist Party (India) stands in unyielding solidarity with the student and teaching community, raising the following non-negotiable demands to the ruling government:

• IMMEDIATE HALT TO ALL CLOSURES: Stop the arbitrary, bureaucratic closure and merger of government schools immediately.
• A SCHOOL IN EVERY HABITATION: Guarantee the presence of at least one functional primary and one upper primary school in every single village and habitation.
• MASSIVE BUDGETARY INCREASE: Substantially boost financial investment in government schools to upgrade physical classrooms, sanitation, and learning resources.
• URGENT TEACHER RECRUITMENT: Fill the lakhs of vacant teaching posts through immediate recruitment drives and heavily strengthen teacher-support systems.
• TOTAL TRANSPARENCY NOW: The Ministry of Education must immediately publish complete, unedited, and transparent state-wise public data regarding all school closures.

Our Pledge :

Socialist Party(India) stands completely opposed to the closure of government schools. We will hit the streets to fight for every single child’s right to high-quality, free public education. Strong public schools make a strong, self-reliant nation. We demand social justice through education, and we will not back down until the ruling government reverses these anti-people policies.

Issued By :

Dr. Totakura Hareesh Swamy Kumar

National Secretary

Socialist Party (India)