LUCKNOW, Aug. 5 -- The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Vidhan Parishad after basic education minister (independent charge) Sandeep Singh rejected the Opposition's allegations of declining education standards, school closures and rising vacancies in government schools. The issue was raised by SP members Lal Bihari Yadav, Ashutosh Sinha, Bal Ram Yadav and others through an adjournment motion, with SP members alleging a sharp increase in student dropouts, a large number of vacant posts and the closure of primary schools in the state. Replying to the debate, Singh dismissed the allegations as "misleading" and asserted that the government had not closed a single basic education council school. He said the Opposition was creating confusion over the "pairing" of schools which was aimed at better utilisation of resources rather than shutting institutions. The minister said schools functioning on the same campus had been administratively integrated into composite schools from Class 1 to VIII while schools with fewer than 50 students within a one-km radius were paired without disconnecting their U-DISE codes. Highlighting the government's initiatives, Singh said infrastructure under Operation Kayakalp had improved significantly, with compliance on 19 basic parameters rising from 36% in 2017 to 96% now. He said more than 1.43 crore students, including 73.94 lakh girls, were enrolled in council schools during the 2025-26 session. HTC...