Not trueAkhilesh Yadavchecked 1 Oct 2026“अखिलेश यादव का दावा 26 हजार से अधिक स्कूल बंद, मिला ये जवाब!”
more than 26,000 schools shut since 2017, 1,37,102
What the evidence showsHide the evidence
What they said
more than 26,000 schools shut since 2017
Akhilesh Yadav claimed that more than 26,000 schools have been shut down (in Uttar Pradesh), a claim to which a response was given.
amarujala.com, checked 1 Oct 2026
What is actually true
1,37,102
government schools in Uttar Pradesh, UDISE+ 2023-24
sansad.in
In a Rajya Sabha answer of 23 July 2025, the Ministry of Education gave UDISE+ counts of government schools in every state. For Uttar Pradesh the count was 1,37,638 in 2019-20 and 1,37,102 in 2023-24 — nearly unchanged over the latest five years, with no drop anywhere near 26,000. The same answer says the opening, merger or closing of schools is within the state government's purview and contains no data showing 26,000 closed primary schools in Uttar Pradesh.
- The Ministry of Education's Rajya Sabha answer of 23 July 2025 gives state-wise UDISE+ numbers of government schools; Uttar Pradesh's figure is 1,37,638 in 2019-20 and 1,37,102 in 2023-24. [4]
- The same answer says opening, merger or closing of schools is the concerned state government's job under the Right to Education Act, 2009, and it does not list 26,000 closed primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. [4]
- Media reports say Akhilesh Yadav claimed official data showed 1,13,938 government primary schools in Uttar Pradesh till March 2017 and that more than 26,000 of them were closed since then. [3]
[3] 26,000 schools shut in UP to deny education to PDA children ... — indiatoday.in[4] RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 345 - sansad.in — sansad.in
The official record does not show the claimed mass closure. UDISE+ data tabled in the Rajya Sabha put Uttar Pradesh's total government schools at 1,37,638 in 2019-20 and 1,37,102 in 2023-24, nearly the same. The Rajya Sabha answer about closing or merging schools contains no series showing 26,000 closed primary schools. The official figures are for all government schools and begin after 2017, so they do not directly count primary schools from March 2017, but they contradict the scale of the claim and offer no support for the 1,13,938 baseline.