AIDSO State President Ashwini K.S. has revealed a massive crisis in the public education sector, noting that over 94,000 government schools have closed in the last ten years due to severe defunding.
- More than 94,000 government schools have been shut down across India in the last decade.
- AIDSO successfully protested against the closure of 40,000 schools in Karnataka under the KPS Magnet scheme.
- Poor infrastructure and lack of basic supplies like shoes and socks are rampant in rural schools.
- A massive gap exists between the 1.4 crore annual graduates and available job opportunities.
Dharwad: In a scathing indictment of the current educational landscape, student activist and AIDSO State President Ashwini K.S. revealed that over 94,000 government schools have been decommissioned across the country over the past decade. Speaking at a district-level student camp in Dharwad, she attributed this mass closure to the systematic defunding of public infrastructure.
The camp, organized to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, served as a platform to discuss the role of students in social change. Ms. Ashwini highlighted that even in Karnataka, the state government attempted to shut down approximately 40,000 government schools under the KPS Magnet scheme, a move that was eventually halted following intense protests by AIDSO.
Why This Matters
BozokMedia analysis shows that the erosion of the public schooling system directly correlates with increasing social stratification. As state-funded institutions vanish, the accessibility of quality education becomes tethered to economic status, undermining the constitutional promise of universal education.
Today’s governments appear to be acting against the vision of Phule, effectively stripping education away from the most vulnerable students.
Beyond closures, the activist pointed to the deteriorating physical condition of existing schools. She cited a recent tragedy in Bagalkot district where eight students were injured after a school roof collapsed. Similar reports of life-threatening conditions have emerged from Kalaburagi, Raichur, and Kodagu districts, highlighting a critical failure in school maintenance and safety standards.
The economic implications were also starkly discussed. With 1.4 crore students graduating annually, the job market remains woefully inadequate, creating only about 18 lakh total jobs between the public and private sectors. This mismatch is fueling a crisis of educated unemployment.
| Metric | Estimated Figure |
|---|---|
| Schools Closed (Decade) | 94,000+ |
| Annual Graduates | 1.4 Crore |
| Annual Job Creation (Total) | ~18 Lakh |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What caused the closure of so many schools?
According to AIDSO, the primary cause is the systematic defunding of public infrastructure by both Union and State governments.
2. How does the job market affect students?
The massive gap between the number of graduates and available jobs creates widespread educated unemployment, which activists claim is being used to discourage political consciousness.
