Nearly 90% of the 465 recently stripped of recognition by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (UP Board) were severely affected by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an internal analysis by the board.UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said most of the affected schools were unable to recover from the financial and academic disruption caused by the Covid lockdown. (HT FILE PHOTO)The UP Board revoked the affiliations of these institutions after they failed to conduct classes or register students for the board examinations in two consecutive academic sessions, 2024–25 and 2025–26.The action was taken under the provisions of the Intermediate Education Act, 1921, which states that an institution forfeits its recognition if it fails to conduct academic activities or has no students appearing in board examinations for two continuous years.UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said most of the affected schools were unable to recover from the financial and academic disruption caused by the Covid lockdown.“Nearly 90% of the 465 institutions that lost affiliation were unable to recover from the impact of the pandemic. In many cases, students did not pay fees for almost two years, leading to a financial crisis. As a result, teachers left after going without salaries for prolonged periods,” Singh said.According to the board, the growing preference among students and parents for English-medium education was the second major reason behind the closure of these schools. “Many schools have shifted their affiliation to boards such as CBSE and CISCE. English-medium schools attract significantly more students than Hindi-medium institutions. Of the nearly 30,000 schools affiliated with the UP Board, around 10% are English medium, while the remaining 90% are Hindi medium,” Singh said.He added that several UP Board-affiliated schools have recently applied for permission to switch their medium of instruction from Hindi to English. “District Inspectors of Schools (DIOS) are authorised to grant approval for changing a school’s medium of instruction from Hindi to English,” he said.A prominent UP Board-affiliated school in Prayagraj switched to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) a few years ago following a change in management. The institution discontinued fresh admissions to UP Board classes, citing rising demand for the ICSE and ISC curricula. According to the management, students increasingly preferred the English-medium education offered by CISCE-affiliated schools over the predominantly Hindi-medium system of the UP Board.Board sources also cited changing economic realities for private school owners as a factor behind the closures. In one instance from western Uttar Pradesh, a UP Board-affiliated school with a sprawling campus witnessed a steady decline in enrolment over the years. The owner eventually repurposed the premises into a commercial venue for weddings, exhibitions, discount sales and other public events, finding it more financially viable than operating an educational institution.