No, UP schools aren't closing: Minister on merger speculations
Uttar Pradesh's Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh has cleared the air—no, schools aren't closing across the state.
He addressed concerns about student dropouts and recent school mergers, explaining that only schools with fewer than 50 students will be merged with another nearby (within 1km) to help improve learning.
Teacher shortage in UP schools
Singh also shared some big numbers: Over 10 million kids are enrolled in UP's primary schools this year, but not all teaching posts are filled—about 80,000 spots remain vacant.
For upper primary schools, there are over 4.3 million students and a similar teacher shortage.
The state is sticking to its policy of enrolling kids at age six and encouraging pre-school at Anganwadi centers for younger children.
Singh reassured everyone that no school would be closed solely due to dropouts or mergers.