Table of Contents
Relevance: UPSC GS Paper II: Education, Governance, Social Justice, Welfare of Vulnerable Sections
For Prelims:
- RTE Act | Neighbourhood School | UDISE+ | NITI Aayog | School Management Committee
For Mains:
- School rationalisation | Equity in education | Public education access | Gendered dropout risk | Centre-State accountability
Why in News?
A recent NITI Aayog report stated that around 94,000 government schools were closed over the past decade, averaging nearly 25 schools a day. This has contributed to a decline of 2.26 crore students in government school enrolment. The share of government schools in total enrolment has fallen from 71% in 2005 to 49.24% in 2024-25.
Why are Government Schools Shutting Down?
- Government schools are being closed or merged across States mainly in the name of school rationalisation.
- School rationalisation generally means merging schools with low enrolment and shifting students to another nearby school. The National Education Policy 2020 supports rationalisation, but it also cautions that the idea of neighbourhood schools should not be endangered.
- The problem is that these closures cannot be explained only through demographic change, migration or urbanisation. In several States, closures appear as coordinated administrative decisions affecting children who have the least capacity to travel longer distances or shift to private schools.
National Trend in Government School Closures
Government data tabled in the Lok Sabha shows a clear decline in public schooling infrastructure.
| Indicator | Earlier Position | Later Position |
| Government schools nationally | 11.07 lakh in 2014-15 | 10.17 lakh in 2023-24 |
| Approximate decline | Nearly 89,000 schools | |
| Private schools nationally | 2.88 lakh | 3.31 lakh |
| Government school enrolment share | 71% in 2005 | 49.24% in 2024-25 |
This indicates that while government schools declined, private schools expanded during the same period.
Worst-Affected States
1. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh witnessed one of the sharpest declines. Government schools fell from around 1.63 lakh to 1.38 lakh in a single year, a drop of more than 25,000 schools.
2. Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh’s government schools fell from around 1.22 lakh in 2018-19 to 99,411 the next year, a decline of nearly 22,600 schools in twelve months.
The State’s own School Education Department found serious exclusion indicators:
- 7.37 lakh children had no school records.
- 11.38 lakh children were in the “Drop Box” category, meaning at imminent risk of dropping out.
- 1.23 lakh children were already recorded as dropouts.
- 1.55 lakh children had left school due to family displacement or migration.
- More than 3,500 government schools recorded zero new admissions.
- Another 6,500 schools recorded fewer than 10 admissions.
- In Jhabua and Shivpuri, around 29,000 children were in the Drop Box category.
This shows that school closure is closely linked with invisibilisation of children from the education system.
3. Jammu and Kashmir
In Jammu and Kashmir, more than 4,300 schools were closed or merged under rationalisation. UDISE+ figures show the State’s school count falling from 23,167 in 2020-21 to 18,785 by 2022-23.
Reports also noted nearly 13,000 vacant teaching posts. In several areas, children now travel 4–6 km daily to reach a functioning school, weakening the neighbourhood school mandate under the Right to Education Act.
Impact on Children’s Access to Education
Government schools are not used equally by all social classes. They are disproportionately used by children from poor households, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, backward communities and rural families.
When a nearby school shuts down, children face:
- longer travel distance
- higher transport cost
- reduced safety
- greater dropout risk
- loss of learning continuity
- dependence on unaffordable private schools
- weaker community monitoring of schools
Thus, rationalisation may appear efficient on paper, but on the ground it can reduce real access to education.
Who Bears the Biggest Burden?
1. Poor Rural Children
Poor families often cannot afford transport or private schooling. For them, the nearest government school is not just one option; it is often the only accessible option.
2. Girls
Girls are usually the first to be withdrawn when the school is no longer nearby. Distance increases concerns around safety, mobility and household responsibilities.
3. SC, ST and Minority Children
A 2019 National Sample Survey-based analysis found that access to free education declined unevenly, with Muslim, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households disproportionately marginalised from nearby schools.
4. Migrant and Displaced Families
Children from families migrating for work are at higher risk of being excluded from school records and becoming dropouts.
5. Children in Multi-Grade Classrooms
In several merged or under-resourced schools, a single teacher may have to handle multiple classes together. This affects learning quality and violates the spirit of RTE staffing and quality norms.
Centre-State Responsibility
- The Union government has argued that education is on the Concurrent List, and therefore States are responsible for school closures.However, this does not fully absolve the Centre.
- The Right to Education Act is a Central law, and its mandate on free, compulsory and neighbourhood schooling is a national responsibility. The Centre also influences State school education through Central funding, NEP-linked conditions and national policy frameworks.
- both Centre and States are responsible for ensuring that rationalisation does not weaken children’s access to public education.
Why the RTE Act Has Fallen Short
The Right to Education Act, 2009, in force since 2010, guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 years.
However, several limitations remain.
1. Weak Protection of Neighbourhood Schools
The Act recognises neighbourhood schooling, but large-scale school mergers have weakened this principle.
2. Limited Focus on Quality
The RTE creates access-based entitlements, but it does not sufficiently guarantee the quality of education inside classrooms.
3. Weak Enforcement Capacity
Children cannot assert their own legal rights. Poor and rural parents often lack the legal and institutional capacity to challenge school closures.
4. School Management Committees Remain Weak
SMCs were meant to give parents and communities a formal voice, but they are often inactive or not regularly convened.
5. Power Imbalance
The Act assumes that families can hold the State accountable, but poor households often lack the power to do so.
6. Staffing and Learning Gaps
Teacher vacancies and multi-grade teaching weaken the quality of education, even where schools formally remain open.
Constitutional Provisions on Education in India
| Article | Provision |
| Fundamental Rights | |
| 21A | Right to compulsory education |
| 28 | Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions |
| 30 | Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions |
| Directive Principles of State Policy | |
| 41 | Right to work, to education and public assistance in certain cases |
| 45 | Provision for free and compulsory education for children Provision for early childhood care and education to children below the age of six years |
| Fundamental Duties | |
| 51A | Duty of a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the age of six and fourteen years |
| Part XVII – Official Language | |
| 350A | Facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage • It shall be the endeavour of every State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. • The President may issue such directions to any State as he considers necessary or proper for securing the provision of such facilities. |
Way Forward
1. Protect the Neighbourhood School Principal
Rationalisation should not be allowed if it forces young children to travel long distances.
2. Social Impact Assessment Before Closure
Before closing or merging a school, States should assess impact on girls, SC/ST children, minorities, children with disabilities and migrant families.
3. Strengthen School Mapping
Children outside school records must be identified through UDISE+, local surveys and door-to-door campaigns.
4. Ensure Safe Transport Where Mergers are Unavoidable
If a school is merged, free and safe transport must be guaranteed, especially for girls and younger children.
5. Fill Teacher Vacancies
School access without teachers cannot fulfil the RTE promise.
6. Revive School Management Committees
SMCs should be regularly convened and consulted before any school closure or merger.
7. Centre-State Monitoring Mechanism
The Centre should monitor whether State-level rationalisation violates RTE norms.
8. Treat Public Schools as Social Infrastructure
Government schools should not be judged only by enrolment numbers. Their role in social justice, gender equality and rural access must be recognised.
Conclusion
Government school closures show that administrative rationalisation can become educational exclusion if not carefully planned. A school that appears “unviable” in official records may be the only accessible institution for a poor child, a girl, or a tribal household. India must ensure that rationalisation does not weaken the constitutional promise of education. The future of public education depends on protecting neighbourhood schools, teacher availability, social equity and accountable governance.
UPSC PYQ
Q. Which of the following provisions of the Constitution of India have a bearing on Education?
- Directive Principles of State Policy
- Rural and Urban Local Bodies
- Fifth Schedule
- Sixth Schedule
- Seventh Schedule
Select the correct answer:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3, 4 and 5 only
(c) 1, 2 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Explanation
1. Directive Principles of State Policy — Correct
DPSPs contain provisions related to education, especially Article 41, Article 45 and Article 46.
2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies — Correct
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments gave local bodies roles in areas including education, especially through the 11th and 12th Schedules.
3. Fifth Schedule — Correct
The Fifth Schedule deals with administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes. Education of tribal communities is an important governance concern in these areas.
4. Sixth Schedule — Correct
The Sixth Schedule gives autonomous councils in tribal areas of the Northeast powers over subjects including education.
5. Seventh Schedule — Correct
Education is placed in the Concurrent List under the Seventh Schedule, allowing both the Centre and States to legislate on education.
CARE MCQ
Q. Consider the following statements regarding government school closures in India:
- School closures are often justified on the ground of rationalisation.
- The Right to Education Act recognises the importance of neighbourhood schools.
- Closure of nearby schools can disproportionately affect girls and children from poor households.
- Education is exclusively a State List subject.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. School closures are often done in the name of rationalisation, but they can weaken access to neighbourhood schools and disproportionately hurt poor children and girls.
Statement 4 is incorrect because education is in the Concurrent List, not exclusively in the State List.
FAQs
1. Why are government schools shutting down?
They are mainly being closed or merged under school rationalisation.
2. What is school rationalisation?
It means merging or closing schools with low enrolment and shifting students to another school.
3. Why is rationalisation controversial?
Because it can increase distance to school and reduce access for poor and rural children.
4. How many government schools were closed over the past decade?
Around 94,000, according to the NITI Aayog report mentioned in the article.
5. What happened to government school enrolment?
It declined by around 2.26 crore students.
6. Which States are among the worst affected?
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
7. Why are girls more affected?
Families may withdraw girls when the school becomes distant due to safety and mobility concerns.
8. Which communities are most affected?
Poor rural children, SCs, STs, minorities, backward communities and migrant families.
9. What is the RTE Act?
The Right to Education Act, 2009 guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 years.
