Student enrolment decreasing in Karnataka's government schools

Bengaluru: The enrolment of students at state government schools has decreased in the state during the post-Covid years.

The data provided by the Department of School Education and Literacy on Monday before the Legislative Council revealed that the number of admissions at government-run primary and high schools has been going down every year for the last three years.

The total students enrolled at government primary and high schools during the 2022-23 academic year was 45,46,523, and the same dipped by 2.52 lakh in 2023-24, with total admissions of 42,94,461. In the year 2024-25, government schools managed to attract 40,74,525, which again decreased by 2.19 lakh compared to the previous year. Responding to the issue raised by Congress MLC Anil Kumar on Monday, Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa said that efforts are underway to attract admissions.

“Not having pre-primary education at government schools all these years was one of the reasons for low admissions. With the setting up of pre-primary classes and also by providing bilingual education, we are hoping to increase admissions,” said the minister.

The minister informed the House that the intention of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) is to attract admissions, as these schools offer education from Lower Kindergarten to Pre-University.

Intervening in the discussion, Chairman of the House Basavaraj Horatti advised the minister to set up KPS following all norms. During the discussion, some legislators demanded that the government start KPS even in urban areas, as there are needy students.