Archive · 11 Aug 2026

Congress School Closure Claim vs NITI Aayog Education Data

Congress School Closure Claim vs NITI Aayog Education Data

A political party in India said that nearly 94,000 government schools have closed in the last ten years, and blamed the government for not caring about education.

The number comes from an official report, but the full report tells a bigger story.

Fewer children are being born in India now, so there are fewer kids needing schools.

Many families are also choosing to send their children to private schools instead.

Some small schools with very few students were merged with bigger schools so they could share teachers and facilities.

The total number of schools in India did not drop by 94,000 — only government schools decreased, while private schools increased.

Meanwhile, the number of teachers actually went up, not down.

The report says the real challenge is keeping children in school after Class 8, because many drop out before finishing higher-secondary.

It also warns that closing schools can be harmful if children must travel far, especially girls and kids in remote areas.

So, counting closed schools alone does not tell us whether education is getting better or worse.

Sources