Delhi has 74 fewer government schools than it did five years ago, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with the Union government reiterating that decisions on opening, merging or closing schools are the responsibility of state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The data, shared by the Ministry of Education in response to an unstarred question, showed that the number of government schools in the national capital declined from 2,762 in 2021-22 to 2,688 in 2025-26. The figures stood at 2,673 in 2022-23, 2,693 in 2023-24 and 2,681 in 2024-25 before witnessing a marginal increase this year.
Replying to the question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and the opening, merger or closure of schools falls within the purview of the respective state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The minister said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 allows consolidation of schools only when it is carried out judiciously and without affecting students’ access to neighbourhood schools. The policy envisages school complexes or clusters to improve resource efficiency, governance and management without compromising access to education.
The ministry also released national data showing that the total number of government schools across the country declined from 10,22,386 in 2021-22 to 10,05,245 in 2025-26, based on information uploaded by states and UTs on the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+).
The Centre said it continues to support states through the Samagra Shiksha scheme by providing financial assistance for opening and strengthening schools, improving infrastructure, constructing classrooms, providing transport facilities, free textbooks and uniforms, and undertaking enrolment and retention drives. However, it maintained that matters relating to school closures, mergers, teacher recruitment and deployment remain with the respective state governments and UT administrations.
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