NSUI protests against UP govt's school merger plan, claims move will shut over 27,000 rural schools

LUCKNOW: The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held a protest on Tuesday against the Uttar Pradesh government's recent decision to pair primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 students with nearby institutions, a move that NSUI claims will effectively shut down over 27,000 schools.

Led jointly by NSUI's Central Zone president Anas Rehman and Eastern Zone president Rishabh Pandey, hundreds of students marched from the Congress office toward the Vidhan Sabha. Tensions escalated when police tried to stop them, leading to a brief scuffle between the protesters and the security personnel.

Speaking to reporters, Anas Rehman said, "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."

He added that if the decision is not rolled back, the NSUI, the Congress' students' wing, will launch a major protest in the next 25 days, which will be joined by national president Varun Chaudhary.

Pandey accused the Yogi Adityanath government of favouring private schools.

"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 claimed that the Right to Education Act is being flouted by granting recognition to private schools within a one-km radius of the government schools, undermining public education.