Published on: May 06, 2025
By: BTI
Location: Rajnandgaon, India
The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee has strongly criticized the BJP-led state government over its ongoing “rationalization” policy in the education sector, calling it unjust for both teachers and students, and damaging to the public education system. Congress spokesperson Rupesh Dubey alleged that the policy is designed to weaken government schools and promote private educational institutions at the expense of public welfare.
Dubey claimed that the state government is undermining its own education department — which is directly under the Chief Minister — without consulting education experts. “This so-called rationalization is a flawed and dangerous move that contradicts the principles of the National Education Policy (NEP). It not only disrupts quality education but also seems like a well-thought-out conspiracy to benefit private schools,” he said.
He elaborated that under the NEP, the focus is on nurturing curiosity, deep learning, and comprehensive subject knowledge across all school levels through trained teachers. However, the rationalization policy disregards this. For instance, at the primary level, where five classes and four subjects are taught, the existing setup requires one headmaster and two teachers. Under the new policy, this has been reduced to just one headmaster and one teacher, which will significantly reduce subject-specific learning for students.
Similarly, middle schools (classes 6 to 8), which deal with subject-based teaching for children aged 11 to 14, previously had one headmaster and four teachers. The revised policy allows only three teachers, despite six subjects being part of the curriculum. For higher secondary levels (classes 9 to 12), which require subject experts, the policy will severely limit learning quality.
Dubey alleged that the BJP government plans to eliminate around 32,000 teaching positions in the state. “There are currently more than 20,000 primary schools functioning under the 1+4 system. Under the rationalization plan, moving to a 1+3 structure will result in immediate loss of 20,000 posts. Additionally, approximately 4,000 schools with fewer than 10 students are being considered for closure, which could eliminate 12,000 more posts,” he said.
He further accused the government of deliberately allowing vacancies to accumulate without new teacher recruitment, only to justify school closures. Meanwhile, the state government is allegedly focusing on expanding liquor sales through mobile apps and new outlets.
“While the government neglects essential sectors like education, healthcare, and law & order, it is more focused on boosting alcohol consumption. This clearly shows that the current administration is steering Chhattisgarh not toward development, but destruction,” Dubey concluded.
