Concerns over the state of public education in Uttar Pradesh, the lack of social diversity in the higher judiciary, and the implications of permitting 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the insurance sector dominated Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (March 12, 2026).
The fear of losing a school: on U.P. school merger plan
Raising the issue of school closures, Javed Ali Khan of the Samajwadi Party said the government’s primary education network in Uttar Pradesh had been “nearly dismantled”. Of the 4.18 lakh sanctioned teaching posts, 85,000 remain vacant, while 1.5 lakh Shiksha Mitras continue on low wages. He noted that 2,586 schools operate with single teachers, and around 27,000 schools have either been shut or merged.
U.P. school merger: Is pairing the same as shutdown?
Teachers, he said, are overburdened with non-academic duties ranging from census and cattle counts to welfare scheme surveys, and in some States even managing stray cattle and dogs. Citing an order of the Allahabad High Court directing the government to relieve teachers of such additional tasks, he urged the Centre to ensure they are allowed to focus solely on teaching.
