Priyanka slams UP govt's schools merger move, says it's against backwards

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday claimed that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is set to close around 5,000 government schools in the name of merger and said the alleged move is not only against the Right to Education, but also against the Dalits, backwards, tribals, minorities, poor, and deprived sections.

The Yogi-Adityanath-led government has reportedly decided to merge schools to rationalise educational resources and address issues such as low enrolment, teacher shortage, and duplication of infrastructure. The move, officials claim, aims to consolidate small and under-enrolled schools and merge them with nearby institutions.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The Uttar Pradesh government is set to close around 5,000 government schools in the name of merger. According to teachers' organisations, the government's intention is to close approximately 27,000 schools." The UPA government had introduced the Right to Education Act in the country, under which schools were established in every village so that education could be accessible to children from poor families, the Congress general secretary said.

"If schools are located far from home, how will young children, especially girls, walk several kilometers to reach school? It is obvious that their education will be disrupted. Why is this right being taken away from children?" she said.

"This order of the BJP government is not only against the Right to Education but also against the Dalits, backwards, tribals, minorities, poor, and deprived sections," Priyanka Gandhi added. PTI ASK ASK MNK MNK