SFI plans 'School Bachao Andolan', seeks reopening of closed government schools

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Friday announced that it will intensify its nationwide 'School Bachao Andolan' campaign over the next three months, highlighting what it described as the deteriorating condition of public schools and demanding greater government investment in school education.

The announcement was made at a press conference organised by the SFI at HKS Surjeet Bhawan in Delhi, where its national and state-level office bearers outlined plans for campaigns, demonstrations and public conventions across the country. The SFI said its campaign will continue through August, September and October, with activists visiting schools and documenting their condition.

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The students' organisation claimed that 94,000 government schools have been closed in the last decade, while the number of private schools has increased by 40,000. It also claimed that government schools have lost 85.86 lakh students during this period, while private schools gained 88.27 lakh students.

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According to the SFI, 1,00,843 schools have only one teacher, catering to nearly 29 lakh students, and public schools across the country remain heavily understaffed. "73% of students drop out before completing Class XII. Mostly, girls and students belonging to dalit adivasi minority communities are getting worst affected by school closures," SFI said in a statement. The organisation has demanded that the government increase public investment in education to six per cent of GDP and allocate 10 per cent of the annual budget to education, with greater emphasis on school education. It has also called for the repeal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, alleging that it promotes the closure and merger of public schools.

The SFI has demanded the reopening of all closed government schools, improvement of school infrastructure and recruitment of trained teachers for all subjects, with a student-teacher ratio of 1:20. To prevent dropouts, the organisation has sought ground-level awareness and sensitisation programmes and measures to bring students who have left school back into education. It has also demanded nutritious, protein- and vitamin-rich midday meals in all government schools, particularly for children from marginalised communities.

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As part of the campaign, the SFI plans to identify schools in every state and prepare first-hand reports on their condition. It will also organise students affected by school closures or mergers and work with local communities to push for the reopening and improvement of schools. The organisation plans to collect 10 crore signatures as part of the campaign and involve public intellectuals and opposition groups in its efforts. It will also submit memorandums to authorities at the block, subdivision and district levels and organise state-level public conventions and rallies.

The SFI said the first 'School Bachao' convention will be held on September 8 at HKS Surjeet Bhawan in Delhi to mark International Literacy Day, followed by student rallies at state capitals. The organisation said it has been raising concerns over the condition of public schools for the past five years and claimed that school closures and dropouts increased during and after the COVID-19 lockdown period. It appealed to other social groups and student organisations to join the campaign to "save" public schools and ensure access to education for future generations.