Sanjay Singh slams UP government for shutting down schools; launches 'School Bachao Andolan'

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of jeopardising the future of underprivileged children by shutting down thousands of government schools across the state. Singh, the party's UP in-charge, led a protest march here from the Government Primary School in Gotka to Gagol, accompanied by local villagers, parents, and schoolchildren. "The state government is closing 27,000 schools while opening 27,308 liquor shops.

UP doesn't need 'madhushalas' (liquor shops), it needs 'pathshalas' (schools)," Singh, a and Rajya Sabha MP, said during the march. He termed the government's move as a reflection of an "anti-education mindset" and accused the government of betraying the dreams of Dr B R Ambedkar and violating the Right to Education Act. "By shutting down temples of education and promoting liquor sales, the government is sending a dangerous message to the youth and society," he said.

Singh alleged that around two lakh teaching positions were lying vacant in the state — 1.93 lakh in primary schools, 3,872 in secondary schools, and 8,714 in senior secondary institutions. "The government neither has the plan to fill these vacancies nor any concrete policy for maintaining schools," he said. He said the per student annual education expenditure in UP stands at Rs 9,167, lower than the national average of Rs 12,768. "This gap clearly indicates that education is not a priority for this government," he said.

Warning against inaction on teacher recruitment

Singh announced that the Aam Aadmi Party would launch a state-wide 'School Bachao Andolan' (Save Schools Movement) and take its agitation from the streets to the legislature. "If the government fails to reopen the closed schools and initiate recruitment of teachers, we will be compelled to launch a full-fledged statewide agitation," he warned. The UP government has decided to "pair" schools with low enrolment to pool resources, improve infrastructure, and align with the goals of the National Education Policy 2020.

The policy, recently upheld by the Allahabad High Court, has set in motion the pairing of over 10,000 of the 1.3 lakh government-run primary schools across the state, officials estimate. The essence of the pairing exercise lies in merging schools with fewer than 50 students into nearby institutions to create a more robust