Akhilesh Yadav alleges UP shut 22,000 primary schools through mergers; minister rejects claim

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, alleging that it had weakened the state's education system by shutting thousands of primary schools under the guise of mergers and depriving disadvantaged communities of quality education. Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and said no government primary school had been closed, asserting that only schools with low enrolment had been "merged" with nearby institutions.

Speaking during a discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, Yadav alleged that the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh had failed to improve the education system despite repeatedly claiming reforms. He alleged that the state government had closed over one lakh primary schools across the country, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for the highest number. "The BJP government has closed the maximum number of primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. It has also shut secondary schools on a large scale," Yadav alleged.

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Outside Parliament, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister reiterated the charge, claiming around 22,000 primary schools had been shut in the state through mergers. "Primary schools are being closed across the country, but Uttar Pradesh has seen the highest number -- around 22,000. Even if it is being done in the name of mergers, schools have been shut. A large number of such schools are in Gorakhpur, the chief minister's home district," he told reporters.

Yadav also claimed admissions were declining in intermediate schools, polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), alleging that the BJP government lacked commitment to providing jobs and safeguarding reservation. He further accused the state government of irregularities in the recruitment of 69,000 assistant teachers, alleging that OBC and Dalit candidates had been denied their rightful share of appointments despite approaching courts and staging protests. Targeting the government's handling of public examinations, Yadav questioned the need for another amendment to the anti-paper leak law.

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"The government should explain why the NEET paper leak took place after the 2024 law and why students again had to agitate in 2026," he said, alleging that more than 20 recruitment and board examinations had witnessed paper leaks in Uttar Pradesh during the BJP's rule. Responding later, the basic education minister said Yadav's allegations were contrary to facts. "I challenge his statement with facts. The Uttar Pradesh government has not taken any decision to close any Basic Education Council school. All government schools are functioning," Singh said in a video statement.

He said the government had only merged schools with low enrolment with nearby institutions while the vacated buildings were being used to run pre-primary classes and 'Bal Vatikas'. "Akhilesh Yadav knows that after the 2027 Assembly elections his party is not going to form the government in Uttar Pradesh. That is why he is making baseless statements to mislead the people," the minister said. Singh also claimed enrolment in government schools had increased, dropout rates had fallen and infrastructure had improved under the Yogi Adityanath government.