Tension in Lucknow as NSUI protests closure of over 27,000 UP schools under merger policy

Thousands of students, led by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), staged a protest in Lucknow on July 1 opposing the Uttar Pradesh government's recent move to merge primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 students with nearby institutions.

NSUI leaders argue the decision will lead to the effective closure of over 27,000 government-run schools.

The demonstration, organized by NSUI’s Central Zone president Anas Rehman and Eastern Zone president Rishabh Pandey, saw a large march from the Congress office toward the Vidhan Sabha.

The situation grew tense when police intervened, resulting in a brief scuffle between protesters and security forces.

“In welfare states, governments aim to provide quality education to all children. Instead of upholding this, the BJP-led government wants to deprive rural students of education to suppress dissent,” Rehman said.

He warned that if the decision is not reversed, the students’ wing of the Congress party would launch a large-scale protest within 25 days, with national president Varun Chaudhary expected to join.

Rishabh Pandey criticized the Yogi Adityanath government for allegedly favoring private institutions.

“While private schools admit children at three to four years, government schools accept them at six. Once a child enters a private school, there's no going back,” he said.

He also alleged that the Right to Education Act is being violated by granting recognition to private schools operating within a one-kilometer radius of existing government schools, a move he said undermines the public education system.