<p class="bodytext">Enrolment registered a drop from pre-primary classes all the way to class 12 – in Karnataka for the 2024-25 academic year, according to data sourced from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) that was recently published by the Union government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Overall enrolment for the 2024-25 academic year in Karnataka stood at 1,17,80,251 against 1,19,26,303 in 2023-24, a 1.3% drop. Meanwhile, enrolment at private-unaided schools was markedly higher – 56,63,887 – than at state-run schools, which cumulatively took in 47,34,360 students. Many government schools that registered an uptick in admissions during the pandemic, and for a year after, are beginning to lose students to private institutions.</p>.'308 teachers posted in 270 Karnataka schools with no students': UDISE+ report.<p class="bodytext">During the pandemic, children, even those enrolled at prestigious private schools transferred to government schools. In 2021-22, as many as 1,20,92,381 students enrolled in schools in classes from pre-primary to class 12; this was higher compared to 2020-21, when 1,18,56,736 students were admitted to all classes. In 2021-22, 54,45,989 students were admitted to government schools, while private-unaided schools lost around 1.64 lakh students compared to the previous year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although several state-run schools have switched to English as the medium of instruction, it has not had the desired effect on enrolment. Experts attributed their failure to drive enrolment to the government’s failure to fill vacant teaching positions for the past few years. “Admissions at government schools even for class one are lower than those for private institutions. Data shows that admissions at government schools are lagging private ones by 30%. Teachers and infrastructure are the key factors to sustain high enrolment,” said academic consultant Hemalatha Girish.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An official in the Department of School Education and Literacy pointed out that the decline in enrolment was not too high. “The decline is largely the result of dropouts in the higher-secondary level,” said the official.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Enrolment registered a drop from pre-primary classes all the way to class 12 – in Karnataka for the 2024-25 academic year, according to data sourced from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) that was recently published by the Union government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Overall enrolment for the 2024-25 academic year in Karnataka stood at 1,17,80,251 against 1,19,26,303 in 2023-24, a 1.3% drop. Meanwhile, enrolment at private-unaided schools was markedly higher – 56,63,887 – than at state-run schools, which cumulatively took in 47,34,360 students. Many government schools that registered an uptick in admissions during the pandemic, and for a year after, are beginning to lose students to private institutions.</p>.'308 teachers posted in 270 Karnataka schools with no students': UDISE+ report.<p class="bodytext">During the pandemic, children, even those enrolled at prestigious private schools transferred to government schools. In 2021-22, as many as 1,20,92,381 students enrolled in schools in classes from pre-primary to class 12; this was higher compared to 2020-21, when 1,18,56,736 students were admitted to all classes. In 2021-22, 54,45,989 students were admitted to government schools, while private-unaided schools lost around 1.64 lakh students compared to the previous year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although several state-run schools have switched to English as the medium of instruction, it has not had the desired effect on enrolment. Experts attributed their failure to drive enrolment to the government’s failure to fill vacant teaching positions for the past few years. “Admissions at government schools even for class one are lower than those for private institutions. Data shows that admissions at government schools are lagging private ones by 30%. Teachers and infrastructure are the key factors to sustain high enrolment,” said academic consultant Hemalatha Girish.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An official in the Department of School Education and Literacy pointed out that the decline in enrolment was not too high. “The decline is largely the result of dropouts in the higher-secondary level,” said the official.</p>
