Sandeep Singh tables data in house, refutes opposition allegations

The Basic Education Minister gave a factual reply in the legislative council along with achievements

Lucknow, December 2025 : Responding to questions raised about the education system in the legislative council, Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh completely rejected all the allegations made by the opposition. He clarified in the house, with figures and achievements, that the allegations of decline in council-run education and neglect of children’s future are baseless and misleading. He said that the government, giving priority to education, is continuously working on all three fronts:quality, access, and outcomes.

The minister informed that in the National Achievement Survey-2024, the performance of students from Uttar Pradesh was better than the national average. In Class 3, the state’s average in the language subject was 68 percent, whereas the national average was 64 percent. In mathematics too, the state’s average was 64 percent, which is higher than the national average of 60 percent. In Class 6 as well, students of Uttar Pradesh performed satisfactorily and comparatively better in both language and mathematics. He said that these results are evidence of the structural and academic reforms carried out in the field of education in the state.

Mentioning the progress of the NIPUN Bharat Mission, the minister said that in the academic session 2025–26, so far more than 48,000 council-run schools have been declared NIPUN, where students have achieved the prescribed proficiency in language and mathematics. He also clarified that the survey data are independently re-evaluated by the government.

Regarding the pairing of schools, the minister said that the government has not closed any school. Only the schools with low enrollment have been paired with each other for better use of resources, with a distance limit of one kilometer for primary schools and three kilometers for upper primary schools. This arrangement is in accordance with the National Education Policy–2020.

The minister stated that after pairing, Bal Vatika classes are being run in the vacant buildings. Expanding digital education, smart class facilities are operational in 32,000 schools so far. Furniture has been provided in about 65 percent of schools. Along with this, under the CM Model Composite School Scheme, about 150 schools are being constructed at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore.

He reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring that the future of any child from villages, poor families, farmers, or the middle class is not compromised, and that quality education is made available to every child.