📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Tito Dutta
Education
Over 94,000 Indian Schools Shut in Last Decade, Says AIDSO President
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 07 Sep 2026, 03:38 AM
👁 4
The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) state president reports that more than 94,000 schools across India have been closed in the past ten years.
New Delhi – The state president of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) told The Hindu that over 94,000 schools have been forced to shut their doors across the country during the last decade. The figure aggregates closures in both government and private sectors, reflecting a trend that the student body says threatens access to education for millions of children.
AIDSO officials attribute the closures to a mix of financial distress, declining enrolments and, in some cases, policy decisions that have left schools without adequate funding. The organization has called for a comprehensive review of education financing and for state governments to intervene to prevent further disruptions.
While the exact regional distribution of the closures was not disclosed, the president emphasized that the impact is felt nationwide, especially in rural and semi‑urban areas where alternative schooling options are limited. AIDSO plans to mobilise students and teachers to demand corrective measures from the Ministry of Education.
The report arrives as the central government prepares to roll out its new National Education Policy, prompting stakeholders to urge that the policy address the root causes of school shutdowns.
The Hindu will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more data becomes available.
AIDSO officials attribute the closures to a mix of financial distress, declining enrolments and, in some cases, policy decisions that have left schools without adequate funding. The organization has called for a comprehensive review of education financing and for state governments to intervene to prevent further disruptions.
While the exact regional distribution of the closures was not disclosed, the president emphasized that the impact is felt nationwide, especially in rural and semi‑urban areas where alternative schooling options are limited. AIDSO plans to mobilise students and teachers to demand corrective measures from the Ministry of Education.
The report arrives as the central government prepares to roll out its new National Education Policy, prompting stakeholders to urge that the policy address the root causes of school shutdowns.
The Hindu will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more data becomes available.