JOIN USGovt school admissions down by 1.62 lakh this year
While the Union government’s latest data shows that admissions have improved in government schools, the details with the Department of Public Instruction here paint a different picture.
The number of students admitted into government schools has fallen by 1.62 lakh in the 2022-23 academic year and private school admissions have risen by 1.66 lakh.
In absolute numbers, private schools have seen 44.66 lakh admissions this academic year, up from 42.99 lakh last year. The admissions this time at government schools are 45.41 lakh, down from 47.04 lakh last year.
Apparently, households that shifted kids to government schools during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing financial difficulties, have put their kids back into private schools.
“There were at least four students who got admitted in the primary grades. All of them have opted out this year,” the headmaster of a government school in Bengaluru south said.
According to experts, one of the major reasons for migrating from government schools to private is the failure of the government in providing basic facilities.
“The government has failed to take constructive steps to retain children who migrated from private schools. Several government schools lack basic infrastructure, teachers and quality,” academician V P Niranjanaradhya said.
Some students enrolled at government schools because of some compulsion such as the pandemic-induced financial crisis, he said.
“There were some parents who looked at government schools. They started migrating again to private schools as the government is not really taking any concrete steps to retain them or to boost the confidence of parents about the government schools,” Niranjanaradhya said.
Admitting the government-to-private migration, Commissioner of Public Instruction Vishal R said: “Our admissions are 100%. But, those who have moved from private to the government in the last two years have moved back.” He also pointed out that the population of children in the entry-level age group is decreasing every year by at least 1%.