Priyanka questions U.P. school merger decision, calls it directed against Dalits, backwards

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday (July 14, 2025) alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh is set to close around 5,000 government schools in the name of merger and described the reported decision not only against the Right to Education, but also against the Dalits, backwards, tribals, minorities, poor, and deprived sections.

“The Uttar Pradesh government is going to close about 5,000 government schools in the name of merger. According to teacher organizations, the government intends to close about 27,000 schools. The UPA government had introduced the Right to Education Act in the country, under which a school was arranged in every village so that education could be made accessible to children from poor families. If schools are located far from homes, how will small children, especially girls, walk several kilometers to reach school? Obviously, their studies will be disrupted. Why is this right being snatched away from children,” wrote the Congress leader on X. 

She added, “this order of the BJP government is not only against the right to education but is also against the Dalit, backward, tribal, minority, poor and deprived sections,”.

Uttar Pradesh government initiated a plan to merge schools having enrolment of less than 50 students, with nearby educational facility to make the education system more functional and viable. As part of the consolidation plan, students from these schools will be accommodated in nearby facilities to ensure their continued education.

The decision faced pushback from many teachers and opposition political parties who dubbed the decision as anti-poor.