The Union Ministry of Education (MoE) has asked States to take “remedial steps” to reverse the trend of decreasing enrolment in government schools.

• The enrolment of students was discussed in Project Approval Board (PAB) meetings with each state to consider the Annual Work Plan and Budget under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for 2025-26.

About The School Enrolment Trends

• Enrolment: As per the UDISE+ 2023-24 Report,
  • Total: A total of 24.8 crore students enrolled in the academic year 2023-24
  • Government and Government-Aided Schools: It accounted for more than 65% of the total school enrolment and recorded a significant decline by 19.89 million (13.8%) and 4.95 million (16.41%) respectively.
  • Private School: The UDISE+ 2023-24 report shows that private school enrolment accounts for 36 per cent (a little over 9 crore) and  their total enrolment increased by 1.61 million, or 2.03%.
• State Wise Trend: In 11 out of the 30 States  witnessed an increasing or higher enrolment in private schools, despite the presence of a higher number of government schools.
  • The States are, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya,
• Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Ladakh, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu has higher enrolment in private schools compared to government schools, which is a matter of concern.
• Reasons: 
  • Data Cleaning Exercise: The decrease in enrolment is attributed by states like Maharashtra and Kerala to improvements in data collection exercise by seeding Aadhaar numbers with enrolment eliminating multiple enrolments.
  • Demographic Changes: India’s school-going population (6-17 years) has witnessed a decline by 17.30 million (5.78%) over the past decade.
    • The decline in the population relevant to enrolment at the elementary and secondary levels, has dropped by 18.7 million (9.12%) and 2.17 million (4.35%), respectively
  • Decline in Schools: The number of schools in the country has also declined by 79,109, from 1.55 million in 2017-18 to 1.47 million in 2023-14, a decline of 5.1%.
  • Post Covid Migration: A trend of student migration from government to private schools post-Covid has been observed.
• Implications of declining enrolment in government schools:
  • Increased Social Inequality: Declining enrollment disproportionately affects marginalized communities, potentially widening the education gap and limiting upward mobility.
  • Impact on Higher Education: The decline in elementary and secondary enrolment will naturally impact higher education, as fewer young people will graduate  to higher education.
  • Access to Education: Decreasing enrolment will limit access to education for underprivileged children and exacerbate existing inequalities.
  • Demographic Disaster: An uneducated population will prove to be a demographic disaster for India as it will limit technology and innovation led growth.
• Government Initiatives to Boost Enrolment:
  • Right to Education Act (RTE) Act: The RTE mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years.
  • Girl Education: The National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) and the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao program also contribute to increasing enrollment, particularly for girls
  • Mid Day Meal Scheme: It was introduced to address the twin problem of nutritional deficiency while attracting students to school.