The Karnataka government says it has not closed any government schools. But official data tells a different story. Between 2020-21 and 2025-26, as many as 3,617 government schools were shut down. According to Union Ministry of Education data, 947 schools closed from 2020-21 to 2024-25, dropping the total government schools from 49,791 to 48,844. The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Karnataka, puts the number of government schools at 46,174 in 2025-26, showing a sharp fall. In 2025-26 alone, 2,670 schools closed, a number not included in the Rajya Sabha data. DSEL Minister Madhu Bangarappa previously said no school was permanently closed in 2025-26, only temporarily. Student enrolment in government schools fell from 47.1 lakh in 2015-16 to 38.2 lakh in 2025-26, a 19% drop. Meanwhile, private unaided school enrolment rose from 36.3 lakh to 47 lakh, an increase of 29%. The number of government schools with 50 or fewer students reached 25,683 in 2025-26. This partly explains why many government schools have been closing. The Ministry of Education's data also shows private unaided schools declined from 19,915 in 2020-21 to 19,105 in 2024-25. Sources say this includes schools that did not renew their Recognition Renewal (RR), pointing to many unregulated private schools. Developmental educationist V.P. Niranjanaradhya said, "This year, about 98% of private schools in the State have not renewed their RRs. Schools without qualified teachers or minority certificates won't be renewed." He also raised concerns over funding: "Education is on the concurrent list. States need enough central funds to improve public education. But funds from the Union government are declining each year. Funds come with many conditions linked to PM Shree schools, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and compliance with NEP-2020. The Central-State funding ratio for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has changed from 90:10 to 60:40. This should be reversed."