Akhilesh Yadav accuses BJP of weakening public education, cites closure of 18,727 schools

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday intensified his criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party has systematically weakened the country’s public education system by shutting down thousands of government schools.

In a strongly worded message shared on his WhatsApp channel, Yadav claimed that the BJP government has “reduced education to scrap” and termed the reported closure of government schools a “huge conspiracy against the future of our country.”

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Citing proceedings in Parliament, Yadav said the BJP had acknowledged in the Rajya Sabha that 18,727 government schools were closed during the last five years. He further alleged that in Uttar Pradesh there had earlier been an attempt to close 27,000 government schools under the pretext of “merger.”

“This is a huge conspiracy against the future of our country,” Yadav said. “Do the BJP and its associates want only the children of the rich to study, while oppressed and deprived children of the PDA community remain uneducated and are left to live only as labourers and workers?”

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister accused the BJP of maintaining an “anti-education mindset,” claiming the government was not only closing schools but also failing to ensure the timely distribution of books and proper academic functioning.

“Education brings awareness and scientific thinking among people, which would uproot its outdated, orthodox, narrow-minded and regressive ideology,” Yadav said. “That is why the BJP stands against education and knowledge-science.”

He also alleged that teachers in several government schools are being diverted to non-teaching assignments, disrupting classroom instruction and lowering morale.

“Sincere teachers feel they are unable to fulfil their duty of teaching,” he said, adding that this has strained relationships between teachers, students and parents.

Yadav argued that school closures would disproportionately affect economically weaker and marginalised sections, particularly those he described as the “PDA community.” In addition to losing access to education, he said children would also miss out on mid-day meals that support their nutrition and overall development.

“Snatching away children’s right to education is a social crime,” he said. “The loss of government education will hurt the PDA community the most.”

He further warned that shutting down government schools would compel families to enrol their children in private institutions, increasing financial pressure due to fees and related expenses such as uniforms, books, transport and extracurricular activities.

“If government schools are shut down, private schools will begin exploiting people,” Yadav said.

Framing education as a central electoral issue, Yadav asserted that the upcoming election would be “historic,” with women voters playing a decisive role.

“Even the poorest families, especially every mother, want their child to be educated. This time, women will defeat the BJP,” he said.

He also accused the BJP of providing limited financial assistance while offsetting it through rising prices and increased utility bills and taxes.

“People now understand that the BJP gives less than it takes back,” he added.

Calling for wider public mobilisation, Yadav suggested that the symbolic “PDA Pathshala” campaign be transformed into a full-fledged movement to protect access to education for future generations.

“Let us all come together to save education and secure the future of our children,” he said.