Mayawati slams UP govt over falling enrolment in govt schools, calls for support to madrassas

Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday voiced concern over the declining enrolment in government-run schools and criticised the Adityanath government's approach towards private madrassas, especially in light of the ongoing demolition drive near the Indo-Nepal border.

In a series of posts on X, the former chief minister pointed out that enrolment in government primary and upper primary schools in the state dropped from 1.74 crore in the 2023-24 academic session to just 1.52 crore in 2024-25, reflecting a sharp decline of nearly 22 lakh students.

"This drastic fall in enrolment exposes the deteriorating condition of the government school system, which is both serious and concerning. The government must pay appropriate attention to the importance and need of education," she said.

Mayawati also came out strongly against the state's targeting of private madrassas.

"Despite providing affordable and accessible education, private madrassas are being labelled illegal and are being shut down instead of receiving government support. This is an unjustified and irrational move that undermines the basic need for education," she wrote, urging the government to reconsider its stance and stop weakening grassroots-level education systems.

Her remarks come amid a state-wide crackdown on unrecognised religious structures near the Nepal border.

On May 14, the state government announced that action had been taken against 225 madrassas, 30 mosques, 25 mazars, and six eidgahs in the border districts of Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Pilibhit.

Bulldozers were used to demolish what authorities claimed were illegally constructed religious structures on government land within 10 km of the Indo-Nepal border.

The BSP chief warned that such measures risk pushing marginalised communities further into educational backwardness.

"Government schools are in poor condition in most Indian states, but the situation in UP and Bihar is extremely worrying. This lack of educational access severely hinders the progress of poor families and darkens the future of their children. The government should focus on improving and promoting school education, not shutting institutions down," she said.