Old Bengaluru school faces closure over low admissions

One of the long-standing schools in Bengaluru is on the verge of closure due to low enrolments.

Bangalore High School (BHS), located in South Bengaluru and affiliated to the state board, was founded in 1942 with the aim of serving poor children. But over the past few years, its student enrolments have declined steadily as many parents prefer international schools or those affiliated to central boards.

In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, the government-aided school has appealed to old students to shore up enrolments.

BHS headmaster D S Basavananda Prakash has released a five-minute video urging the alumni to spread the word about the school and help attract students for the next academic year.

"We got everything from the BHS. But admissions at the school have been going down for various reasons. Let us not debate that. We all need to put efforts to increase admissions for classes 8, 9 and 10. All you have to do is act as ambassadors for the school and spread the word about it in your neighbourhood and circulate it on social media," Prakash says in the video.

Speaking to DH, Prakash lamented that parents were "somehow not interested" in sending their children to state board schools such as the BHS even though their fee is very low, "not even 5% of what other schools charge".

"Not just the BHS, many schools that started after independence in the city are struggling," he said.

The headmaster described the video appeal as a "last resort".

The situation is certainly grim.

Last year, the school saw a mere 14 enrolments to class 8. The student strength in classes 9 and 10 is 70 each.

The school gave students devices to facilitate online learning but parents were still not enthused. "We have some of the best teachers and infrastructure, but young parents still prefer schools that charge exorbitant fees," Prakash sighs.

The pandemic has made things worse because 30% of students dropped out as their parents moved out of Bengaluru, he said.