NITI Aayog Report Highlights Sharp Decline in Government Schools and Rising Concerns Over Equitable Access to Education

Recent Developments:

• A recent NITI Aayog report highlighted that nearly 94,000 Government Schools have closed across India over the past decade, averaging about 25 school closures per day, raising concerns over equitable access to education.
• During the same period, Government School enrolment declined by 2.26 crore students, while their share in total school enrolment fell from 71% (2005) to 49.24% (2024–25).
• The trend has intensified concerns regarding educational access, social equity, neighbourhood schools and effective implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

School Education Framework in India:

National Education Policy (NEP), 2020:

• National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 replaced the National Policy on Education, 1986, introducing a comprehensive framework covering education from Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to higher education.
• The policy introduced the 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure aligned with children's developmental stages.
• While supporting school rationalisation, the policy clearly emphasises that the principle of Neighbourhood Schools should not be compromised during institutional consolidation.
• The policy also focuses on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) through the NIPUN Bharat Mission, multidisciplinary learning, experiential education and improved learning outcomes.

Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009:

• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 guarantees free and compulsory elementary education for children aged 6–14 years under Article 21A of the Constitution.
• The Act mandates 25% reservation for children belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and disadvantaged groups in private unaided schools.
• The Act prohibits physical punishment, screening procedures during admission, capitation fees and arbitrary detention, while prescribing norms for school infrastructure and Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR).

UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus):

• UDISE+ is an online Management Information System (MIS) launched by the Ministry of Education during 2018–19 for comprehensive school-level data collection.
• The platform collects information relating to school infrastructure, teacher availability, enrolment, learning facilities and student progression across Government and Private Schools.
• The database serves as an important evidence base for educational planning, monitoring and policy evaluation.

Extent of Government School Closures:

School Rationalisation under NEP 2020:

• Many States have justified school closures as part of school rationalisation, aiming to consolidate institutions with persistently low enrolment.
• Although NEP 2020 supports rationalisation for improving resource utilisation, it simultaneously requires preservation of the Neighbourhood School principle.
• The magnitude of closures suggests that administrative restructuring, alongside demographic changes and urban migration, has significantly influenced school availability.

National Trends:

• According to UDISE+, the number of Government Schools declined from 11.07 lakh (2014–15) to 10.17 lakh (2023–24).
• During the same period, the number of Private Schools increased from 2.88 lakh to 3.31 lakh, indicating a gradual shift towards private schooling.
• The changing enrolment pattern reflects increasing parental preference for private education, particularly where Government Schools face infrastructure or quality-related challenges.

States Most Affected:

Madhya Pradesh:

• Around 7.37 lakh children were identified without school records, indicating significant gaps in educational tracking.
• Nearly 11.38 lakh children were placed under the Drop Box category, while 1.23 lakh children had already dropped out of school.
• Approximately 1.55 lakh children discontinued education due to migration or displacement.
• More than 3,500 Government Schools reported zero new admissions, while nearly 6,500 schools admitted fewer than 10 students.
• State outreach initiatives, including School Chalen Hum and the Home Contact Campaign, reportedly failed to reach nearly 7.5 lakh children.

Uttar Pradesh:

• The number of Government Schools declined from 1.63 lakh to 1.38 lakh between 2018–19 and 2019–20, representing one of the largest annual reductions among States.

Jamm& Kashmir:

• More than 4,300 schools were merged or closed under the rationalisation process.
• The number of schools declined from 23,167 (2020–21) to 18,785 (2022–23).
• Many children now travel 4–6 kilometres daily to attend school, weakening the Neighbourhood School principle envisaged under the RTE Act.
• Around 13,000 teacher vacancies continue to affect classroom teaching and learning outcomes.

Impact of Government School Closures:

Educational Inequality:

• Government Schools remain the primary educational institutions for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and economically weaker sections.
• Closure of nearby schools disproportionately affects children lacking access to private education or reliable transportation.

Rise in Dropout Rates:

• Longer travel distances, poor accessibility and financial constraints contribute to higher dropout rates, particularly in rural, tribal and remote regions.
• Migration, displacement and poverty further disrupt continuity in children's education.

Gender Dimension:

• Girls are more vulnerable to discontinuing education when schools become distant because of concerns relating to safety, mobility and household responsibilities.
• Reduced accessibility may widen existing gender disparities in school participation.

Decline in Educational Quality:

• Consolidated schools frequently experience teacher shortages, requiring a single teacher to manage multiple classes.
• Such arrangements violate RTE norms relating to Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) and adversely affect classroom learning.

Marginalisation of Vulnerable Communities:

• Studies based on the National Sample Survey (NSS) indicate declining access to free education among Muslim, SC and ST households, increasing educational disparities.
• Reduced public educational access weakens the objective of inclusive and equitable education.

Governance and Accountability Issues:

Role of States:

• Since Education falls under the Concurrent List, State Governments are primarily responsible for school administration, recruitment and rationalisation policies.
• States determine school restructuring based on local demographic and administrative requirements.

Role of the Union Government:

• The Right to Education Act, 2009 establishes the national legal framework guaranteeing elementary education.
• The Union Government influences State education through financial assistance, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, NEP implementation and national policy guidelines.
• Ensuring equitable educational access therefore requires continuous cooperation between the Union and State Governments.

Limitations of the Right to Education Framework:

Implementation Challenges:

• The RTE Act guarantees access to education but contains relatively limited enforceable provisions regarding learning quality.
• Poor and rural families often lack institutional awareness and legal capacity to effectively claim educational rights.
• School Management Committees (SMCs), intended to strengthen community participation and accountability, remain weak in many regions.
• Consequently, statutory guarantees have not always translated into effective educational outcomes.

Way Forward:

Key Priorities:

• School rationalisation should balance administrative efficiency, educational access, equity and learning outcomes.
• The Neighbourhood School principle should remain central while restructuring Government Schools.
• Teacher vacancies should be filled on priority to maintain prescribed Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR).
• School Management Committees (SMCs) should be revitalised through capacity building and greater community participation.
• Monitoring of out-of-school children, migrant children and vulnerable groups should be strengthened through real-time data systems.
• Greater Centre-State cooperation, sustained public investment and improved governance are essential to realise the constitutional vision of universal, equitable and quality education.

UPSC Mains Linkages:

Essay Themes:

• Quality Education as the Foundation of Inclusive Development.
• Education and Social Equity in India.
• Neighbourhood Schools and the Constitutional Promise of Equal Opportunity.

Value Addition for UPSC:

Important Constitutional Provisions:

• Article 21A – Right to Free and Compulsory Education.
• Article 45 – Early Childhood Care and Education.
• Article 46 – Promotion of Educational Interests of Weaker Sections.
• Article 41 – Right to Education within the State's Economic Capacity.

Important Schemes and Initiatives:

• Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan – Integrated school education programme covering pre-primary to Class XII.
• PM SHRI Schools – Model schools for implementing the objectives of NEP 2020.
• NIPUN Bharat Mission – Universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) by Grade 3.
• Vidyanjali Programme – Community and volunteer participation for improving Government Schools.

International Linkage:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Important Supreme Court Judgments:

• Mohini Jain v. State of Karnataka (1992) recognised education as integral to the Right to Life under Article 21.
• Unnikrishnan J.P. v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1993) recognised the Right to Education up to 14 years, which subsequently led to the insertion of Article 21A through the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002