Akhilesh slams Yogi govt over alleged school closures; ministers hit back with data

Lucknow, Aug 8 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of shutting down government schools as part of a "conspiracy", prompting a sharp rebuttal from senior state ministers who cited what they called "unprecedented improvements" in the education sector since 2017.

In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav said, "There is a fundamental flaw in the claims of being a 'Vishwaguru'. BJP members are conspiratorially shutting down schools. PDA will study, PDA will progress, BJP's conspiracy will not succeed." Yadav uses the PDA acronym for 'pichde' (backward classes), Dalits and 'alpsankhyak' (minorities).

The Samajwadi Party (SP) leader also shared a news clipping mentioning the closure of some government schools in the state over the last seven years.

Yadav's remarks came amid an ongoing dispute between the SP and the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, which describes the move as "pairing" of schools, while the opposition parties term it "shutting down" of government institutions.

In many parts of the state, SP workers have started what they call 'PDA Pathshala', where lessons for children also include topics related to party leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the socialist theory.

Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh responded to Yadav's allegations by claiming that before 2017, the state's education system suffered due to appeasement, nepotism, the copying mafia, and negligence.

He also claimed the BJP government transformed the sector through transparency, investment, and modern reforms.

Citing a 2015 newspaper report, Singh alleged that the previous SP regime left 3.45 crore children out of school and that not a single model school was built between 2012 and 2017.

The minister outlined initiatives such as Operation Kayakalp, which invested over Rs 11,500 crore to equip council schools with 19 basic facilities; School Chalo Abhiyan, which saw over 27 lakh new students enrol in council schools this year; the establishment of two CM Model Composite Schools in every district; the opening of Atal Residential Schools in all 18 divisions for over 18,000 children of labourers and orphans; upgrading 1,722 PM Shri Schools with modern learning facilities; and improvements in 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas.

Singh also cited the ASER 2024 and PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan reports as evidence of improved education standards, saying Class 3 students are performing above the national average.

Cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also slammed Yadav, responding to the latter's earlier "ABCD" analogy with his own version, which he said reflected the SP's governance record.

According to Rajbhar, under the SP, A stood for "Araajakata" (lawlessness), B for "Bhrashtachar" (corruption), C for "Chori" (theft), and D for "Dalali" (brokerage).

He also accused the SP of destabilising the administration, institutionalising corruption, shielding criminals, and favouring caste-based politics, extending his analogy to Y for "Yadavism" and Z for "zero change".

Rajbhar alleged that during Yadav's tenure, government schools were plagued by the copying mafia, recruitment scams, poor infrastructure, and declining student numbers.

He contrasted this with the BJP's record, highlighting Operation Kayakalp's upgrades to over 96 per cent of government schools, the enrolment of more than 27 lakh new students under the School Chalo Abhiyan, the establishment of modern CM Model Composite Schools, and the Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya Yojana, which provides free residential education to over 18,000 children.

He also referred to the 1,722 PM-Shri schools upgraded with smart classes and ICT labs, and the improved Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas.

Rajbhar said ASER and PARAKH reports confirmed that Class 3 students in Uttar Pradesh are now performing above the national average, with attendance and resources monitored digitally through the Prerna portal.

He alleged that under the SP rule, education was trapped in casteism and appeasement, whereas under the BJP, new schools have been opened and children brought back to classrooms. PTI KIS ARI