**Executive Summary**
This document is the Ministry of Education's answer to Unstarred Question No. 156 in the Lok Sabha, answered on December 1, 2025, regarding the closure of government schools. It provides data on the number of government schools in India from 2021-22 to 2023-24, and addresses district-wise data availability. It also addresses dropout rates among girls in Uttar Pradesh.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **School Data:**
* Data on school closures, mergers, and non-functional schools is recorded through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system.
* The total number of Government schools in India for the years is as follows:
* 2021-22: 1022386
* 2022-23: 1016010
* 2023-24: 1017660
* District-wise data for Uttar Pradesh, including Jaunpur, is available online.
* **School Jurisdiction and Regulations**
* The opening, closing, and rationalization of schools are within the purview of the respective State Governments and UT Administrations, as education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution.
* The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 ensures children's access to elementary schools within defined areas.
* **Girls Dropout Rate (Uttar Pradesh):**
* Dropout rates for girls in Uttar Pradesh are recorded and reported via UDISE+.
* The dropout rates at different levels of education are as follows:
* 2023-24: Primary (1.7), Upper Primary (4.8), Secondary (7.3)
* 2024-25: Primary (0), Upper Primary (3.1), Secondary (5.1)
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Education/Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for providing the data related to government schools and girl's dropout rates.
* **Action Required:** Maintain and update the UDISE+ system to track relevant education data.
**State Governments and UT Administrations**
* **Impact:** Directly responsible for decisions regarding the opening, closing, and rationalization of schools within their jurisdiction.
* **Action Required:** Comply with the RTE Act, 2009 to ensure access to elementary education for children in defined areas.
**Public/Citizens**
* **Impact:** Access to information regarding government schools and educational trends in their respective areas.
* **Action Required:** Can access district-wise school data for Uttar Pradesh online and hold state governments accountable for compliance with the RTE Act.
Key Entities Referenced
UDISE+: Unified District Information System for Education Plus, a system to record data on indicators of school education.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009: Provides children's access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood.
Ministry of Education: The government ministry responsible for education, answering questions about school closures.
Uttar Pradesh: State in India for which district-wise data on school closures is requested.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-156
ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025
Closure of Government Schools
156. Adv Priya Saroj:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of Government schools closed, merged, or made non-functional in the country
during 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24;
(b) the details of figures for Uttar Pradesh district-wise, particularly Jaunpur;
(c) whether the Government maintains data on the number of students displaced due to school closures
in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether the Government has noted a rise in dropout rates among girls in districts where schools were
closed and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) and (b): The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education 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. As per UDISE+,
number of Government schools from the year 2021-22 to 2023-24 are given below.
Year 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
India 1022386 1016010 1017660
As per UDISE+, district-wise number of Government schools from the year 2021-22 to 2023-24 in Uttar
Pradesh including Jaunpur is available at https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl_ques.
(c) and (d): Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and the opening, closing and
rationalisation of schools are within the purview of respective State Government and UT
Administration. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides
children’s access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood. In pursuance
to Section 6 of the RTE Act, all States have notified area or limits of their neighbourhood norms.
Further, Section 8 of the RTE Act, 2009 also mandates that the appropriate government shall provide
free and compulsory elementary education to every child and will ensure availability of neighbourhood
schools.
Further, as per UDISE+, the dropout rate of girls in Uttar Pradesh for the year 2023-24 and 2024-25 at
different levels of education is given below:
Girl’s Dropout Rate
Year Primary Upper Primary Secondary
2023-24 1.7 4.8 7.3
2024-25 0 3.1 5.1
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