Madhya Pradesh Accounts For Over 50% Of India’s School Closures, Mergers Despite Rising Edu Spending

Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the biggest contributor to school closures and mergers across India in 2025-26, according to the latest UDISE+ data released by the Union Education Ministry. Of the 4,791 schools closed or merged nationwide, 2,426 were in Madhya Pradesh, accounting for more than half of the national total. At the same time, the state’s school education budget has increased to ₹36,730 crore, nearly ₹9,000 crore higher than in 2022-23. The national school network has also contracted, with the total number of schools falling from 14,71,473 to 14,66,682. The figures highlight the scale of school consolidation in Madhya Pradesh while raising questions about the changing size of the country’s school network.