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170 UP Board schools to lose recognition over zero enrollment

The Board has compiled a list of non-performing schools and is poised to take strict action in an effort to uphold educational standards, confirmed board officials.

Published on: Oct 9, 2025, 21:07:44 IST
By , PRAYAGRAJ
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The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) is preparing to revoke the recognition of 170 affiliated schools across the state due to having zero student enrollment for the past three consecutive academic years.

UP Board headquarters in Prayagraj (HT FILE PHOTO)
UP Board headquarters in Prayagraj (HT FILE PHOTO)

The Board has compiled a list of non-performing schools and is poised to take strict action in an effort to uphold educational standards, confirmed board officials.

The UP Board functions through five regional offices located in Prayagraj, Meerut, Bareilly, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur.

The Varanasi regional office has the highest number of such schools, totaling 51. This office covers districts including Sultanpur, Barabanki, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra. Within this region, Azamgarh has the most schools at risk of losing recognition with 11, followed by Ghazipur with 10, Ayodhya with 7, Mau with 5, and Ballia with 4.

The Prayagraj regional office, which oversees districts such as Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj, accounts for 45 schools. Notably, 13 schools in Kanpur Nagar and 12 in Lucknow have been served notices.

Similarly, 39 schools under the Meerut office, which includes districts like Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Saharanpur, are also on the list. Specifically, 9 schools in Etah and 5 each in Agra and Firozabad face the threat of derecognition.

From the Bareilly regional office, which covers Moradabad, Bijnor, Sambhal, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, and Pilibhit etc, 22 schools have been flagged. Of these, 9 are located in Bijnor.

Meanwhile, the Gorakhpur regional office, overseeing Bahraich, Gonda, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, and Kushinagar etc, has listed 13 schools, including 3 from Gorakhpur district itself.

Confirming the development, Kamlesh Kumar, secretary of the Prayagraj regional office, said that all identified schools have been asked to explain the consistent lack of enrolment over the past three years.

Currently, notices have been issued to all 170 institutions, seeking justification for the absence of student admissions during the past three years. If the responses are found unsatisfactory, the UP Board will proceed with revoking their recognition, officials shared.

A key point highlighted by officials is that all the defaulting schools are unaided, meaning they do not receive government funding.

  • K Sandeep Kumar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    K Sandeep Kumar

    K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.Read More