Overview
- State Congress chief Jitu Patwari called for a CBI investigation, alleging serious failures in school administration and the Mid-Day Meal scheme.
- Patwari cited UDISE figures to claim a decline of more than 50 lakh students since 2017–18, with some reports putting the shortfall at 56 lakh, and no independent verification reported.
- He said the education budget has nearly quintupled since 2018 and questioned how the expanded funding translated into outcomes.
- He alleged acute staffing gaps, including about 1,500 primary schools run by a single teacher, over a quarter of higher secondary schools lacking key subject teachers, and more than 10,000 schools without principals.
- Referencing Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks on children’s nutritional deficits, Patwari also pointed to a claimed Rs 12 per-child allocation for mid-day meals as evidence of persistent undernourishment.