Govt School Enrolment Drops, MoE Calls for Remedial Steps

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.