‘Implement Justice Sudhir Agarwal’s recommendation’- Dr. Sandeep Pandey to Govt.

Former National General Secretary of the Socialist Party (India), Dr. Sandeep Pandey, has urged the immediate implementation of Justice Sudhir Agarwal’s recommendation to make it compulsory for children of government employees to study in government schools. In a statement, Dr. Pandey said that this move would help revive public education and bridge the growing inequality in the school system.
He pointed out that between the academic years 2014–15 and 2023–24, a total of 25,126 government schools have been shut across the country. Based on current trends, it is feared that another 10,000 to 27,000 schools could face closure in the near future. Dr. Pandey said this decline in public schooling is partly due to the fact that children of the influential and well-to-do no longer attend government schools, weakening both public confidence and accountability.
Dr. Pandey criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s school pairing and merger policy, under which government schools with fewer than 50 students are merged with nearby institutions. He said such measures violate the Right to Education as enshrined in Article 21A of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees every child access to education within reasonable distance. According to the government’s own rules, a primary school should be located within 1 kilometre of a child’s residence. However, post-merger, many children are being forced to travel beyond this limit, leading parents to turn to private schools.
Drawing attention to a local case in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, he noted that while a village liquor shop was easily permitted, the Panchayat’s demand to reopen a school remained unaddressed, exposing the government’s misplaced priorities.
Citing an example from Telangana, Dr. Pandey mentioned a government school in Narapanenipalle village, Khammam district, where only one student—Kirthana—continues to study under the guidance of a single teacher, Uma Parvati. Despite this, the Telangana government allocates Rs.12 lakh annually for the functioning of the school. He said this highlights the principle that fundamental rights should not be measured against financial expenditure.
Reiterating his appeal, Dr. Pandey called on the central and state governments to take immediate steps to implement Justice Sudhir Agarwal’s 2015 recommendation and make enrolment of government employees’ children in government schools mandatory. He said such a policy would not only improve the quality of education but also revive the credibility of public schools.