Executive Summary:
This document addresses concerns raised in Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 311 regarding the closing of primary schools in backward areas, its potential violation of the Right to Education, and its impact on literacy rates, particularly for girls. It clarifies the roles of the Central Government and State Governments/UT Administrations in education, referencing the Right to Education Act, 2009 and the National Education Policy 2020. The document also cites data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE) and the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS) 2024 to assess educational performance.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Roles and Responsibilities:**
* Education is a concurrent subject, placing the opening, merging, and closing of schools under the purview of State Governments and UT Administrations, as the appropriate authorities under the RTE Act, 2009.
* The RTE Act, 2009 mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 and sets minimum standards for neighborhood schools.
* Section 6 of the RTE Act requires appropriate governments to establish schools within defined area or neighborhood limits to ensure universal access.
* **School Consolidation:**
* The National Education Policy 2020 (Para 7.4) advises that school consolidation should be approached cautiously, ensuring no negative impact on access to education.
* Some states have adopted strategies to establish larger schools to achieve better learning outcomes and Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) at upper primary and secondary levels.
* **Data and Assessment:**
* The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) uses the UDISE+ system to collect data on school education indicators from States and UTs.
* The Gender Parity Index (GPI) from UDISE indicates proportionally higher participation of girls compared to boys at all levels.
* Gross Access Ratio (GAR) data from UDISE shows improvements in universal access across all levels of school education.
* The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS) 2024 (formerly NAS) assesses learning achievement and indicates improvements in average scores for Grade 3 students in Language and Mathematics compared to NAS 2021.
Impact Analysis:
* **State Governments and UT Administrations:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for the opening, merger, and closure of schools, as well as implementing the RTE Act, 2009.
* *Action Required:* Frame detailed rules, issue administrative orders, and implement the provisions of the RTE Act through their education departments and local bodies; exercise caution when consolidating schools, ensuring no negative impact on access to education.
* **Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL):**
* *Impact:* Responsible for monitoring educational indicators through the UDISE+ system and conducting assessments like the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS).
* *Action Required:* Continue to collect and analyze data on educational performance to inform policy decisions and track progress towards universal access and improved learning outcomes.
* **Students (particularly in remote, poor, tribal, and backward areas):**
* *Impact:* The document addresses concerns about their Right to Education being potentially violated due to school closures.
* *Action Required:* No direct action required, but continued monitoring of access to education and learning outcomes is necessary to ensure their educational needs are met.
Key Entities Referenced
Right to Education: The fundamental right of children to receive education, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Shri Virendra Singh: Member of Parliament who raised the starred question regarding the closing of primary schools.
SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN: Minister of Education responsible for answering the parliamentary question.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education RTE Act, 2009: A Central legislation that guarantees free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 6 to 14 years.
National Education Policy 2020: A comprehensive framework guiding the development of education in India.
Department of School Education and Literacy DoSEL: A department responsible for the development of school education.
Unified District Information System for Education Plus UDISE: A system developed to record data on indicators of school education provided by all the States and Union Territories.
PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan PRS 2024: The latest round of National Achievement Survey NAS, undertaken in December, 2024 to understand the baseline performance under the National Education Policy NEP 2020
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 311
ANSWERED ON – 11/08/2025
CLOSING OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BACKWARD AREAS
†*311. Shri Virendra Singh:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the decision to close the primary schools does not violate the Right to
Education of children from remote, poor, tribal and backward areas in the country, if so,
the details thereof;
(b) whether the literacy rate and school attendance of girls has declined after the
closure of schools in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether any assessment has been made regarding deprivation of education due to
closure of schools, if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government proposes to ensure that a proper study of the
geographical, social, ethnic and economic condition of the area is conducted before
closing any school in the country; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
A N S W E R
MINISTER OF EDUCATION
(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 311 ANSWERED ON 11TH AUGUST, 2025 ASKED BY
SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING
CLOSING OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BACKWARD AREAS
(a) to (e): Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and the opening,
merger/closing of schools are within the purview of respective State Government and
UT Administration, which are the appropriate Government under the Right of Children
to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
The Right to Education Act, 2009, is a Central legislation which guarantees free
and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 6 to 14 years and lays
down minimum norms for neighbourhood schools. However, under the framework of
the RTE Act, it is the responsibility of the respective State Governments to frame
detailed rules, issue administrative orders, and implement the provisions of the Act
through their own education departments and local bodies.
To ensure universal access to elementary schools, Section 6 of the RTE Act
mandates the establishment of schools by the appropriate government within defined
area or neighbourhood limits.
Further, Para 7.4 of the National Education Policy 2020 underscores that
although consolidation of schools is an option that is often discussed, it must be
carried out very judiciously, and only when it is ensured that there is no impact on
access. Therefore, to achieve better learning outcomes and appropriate Pupil-
Teacher Ratios (PTR) across upper primary and secondary levels, some states have
adopted appropriate strategies to establish the larger schools as per
aspirations of the public.
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) has developed the
Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system to record data
on indicators of school education provided by all the States and Union Territories. One
of the educational performance indicators captured on the UDISE portal is Gender
Parity Index (GPI). The GPI, measured as ratio of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of girlsto GER of boys, stood at above 1 at all levels indicating proportionally higher
participation of girls as compared to boys.
The GPI for the year 2018-19 and 2023-24 is as follows:
Year Primary Upper Elementary Secondary Higher
Primary Secondary
2018-19 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.00 1.03
2023-24 1.03 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.07
As per the data available on UDISE+, advancements have been made in
improving universal access across all levels of school education. This is evidenced by
Gross Access Ratio (GAR) for 2018-19 and 2024-25:
Upper Higher
Year Primary Secondary
Primary Secondary
2018-19 97.15 96.49 88.24 65.05
2024-25 97.83 96.57 95.35 94.97
GAR: Gross access ratio (GAR) is total villages/habitations having school within specified norm
in a year out of total villages/habitations in that year.
To check the health of the educational system and to provide information about
the learning achievement of students, National Achievement Surveys (NAS) are
conducted at regular intervals.
The latest round of NAS, i.e., PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS) 2024
(formerly National Achievement Survey) was undertaken in December, 2024 to
understand the baseline performance under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
in development of competencies among the students at the end of the Foundational,
Preparatory, and Middle stages (Grades 3, 6, and 9 respectively). The PRS indicates
improvement in average scores of the Grade 3 students in Language and Mathematics
as compared to NAS 2021. Further, it also reflects that the performance of children in
Grade 3 in rural school is better than urban schools and the Government schools
performed better than Private schools at Grade 3 level.
The State/UT wise PARAKH 2024 report has been officially released in public
domain on 2nd July, 2025. This can be accessed at
https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en.
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