Mumbai, August 6: Shiv Sena (UBT) has criticized the central government, referencing a report by the NITI Aayog that reveals the dire state of India’s school infrastructure.
In an editorial published in their mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Shiv Sena (UBT) stated, “As Generation Z youth take to the streets to protest systemic failures in education, repeated paper leaks, and rising unemployment, the government’s own think tank has exposed serious structural deficiencies. While the paper leak scandal has already embarrassed the BJP-led government due to the commercialization of the education sector, the NITI Aayog report has forced the government to hide its face in shame.”
Despite a growing population, the report disclosed that nearly 100,000 schools have shut down across the country, with a shocking dropout rate of 40% before students reach the 12th grade. The editorial highlighted that data shows that nearly four out of ten students enrolled in primary school drop out before completing secondary education.
It was noted that approximately 92,000 schools have closed in the past eight to nine years. Official sources claim that schools have merged due to low enrollment; however, the total number of schools has decreased by about 100,000 despite the increasing population.
Moreover, over 100,000 primary schools operate with just one teacher, who teaches all subjects from grades 1 to 4. Conversely, there are currently 7,993 schools with active staff but no enrolled students. Among the 14.71 lakh schools, 24.69 crore students are enrolled, with primary level enrollment at 90.9%, which drops to 58.4% by the time students reach the higher secondary level.
The editorial argued that the widespread discontent recently displayed during youth protests at Jantar Mantar over paper leaks and exam corruption has severely undermined claims of global educational leadership.
The Thackeray faction attributed the high dropout rates primarily to rising poverty and education costs, stating that the expenses for higher secondary education are three to five times greater than those for primary education. Many families, burdened by increasing tuition fees, exam charges, and travel expenses, are forced to withdraw their children from school prematurely, while the central education ministry remains inactive.
Questioning the effectiveness of current policy safeguards, Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, asked, “If this is the future of students in our country, what is the use of the Right to Education Act – should it be thrown into the fire?”
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