SP claims victory as Yogi govt retreats on school merger plan

Samajwadi Party leader Sunil Singh Sajan on Friday claimed that the Yogi government had to bow down before party chief Akhilesh Yadav as the BJP dispensation rolled back its decision of merging low-enrolment primary government schools in Uttar Pradesh.

In a social media post, Sajan said, “The world bows before those who can make it bow. Today, the Yogi government had to yield before our national president, Akhilesh Yadav Ji.”

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He further criticized the government’s priorities, claiming that its focus was more on ‘madhushala’ (bars) than ‘pathshala’ (schools),” and that these intentions had now collapsed. According to Sajan, the administration was forced to roll back its decision.

He alleged that the government was pushing children’s bright futures into darkness, but under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership, Samajwadi workers had successfully opposed what he called an anti-education policy. Sajan described the development as a victory for all students striving to build a golden future through education.

Earlier Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh had clarified the government’s stance on the school merger initiative. Despite this clarification, the Samajwadi Party continues to claim political credit for the government’s retreat.

Singh explained that the decision to pair government and council schools—particularly those with fewer than 50 students—with nearby institutions was not new and had been under discussion for a long time. He assured that no school would be relocated more than one kilometer away and that no school would be shut down.

Addressing concerns about possible job cuts, the minister emphasized that not a single teaching post would be eliminated.

The state government faced a setback when the Lucknow bench of the High Court, responding to a petition from Sitapur district, stayed the school merger process in that district.

Following the court’s order, the government was forced to step back. Acknowledging the seriousness of the matter, it later held a press conference on Thursday to officially clarify its position.