Centre flags ‘disturbing trend’ of students leaving government schools in Telangana

Officials from Union Ministry of Education say total enrolment in government schools in the State is only 38.11 per cent compared to 60.75 per cent in unaided schools

Hyderabad: The Central government has voiced its concerns over students shifting away from government schools in Telangana State and termed it as a ‘disturbing trend’.

During the recent Samagra Shiksha Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting conducted by the Central government, officials from the Union Ministry of Education, who examined the UDISE plus 2023-24 statistics, observed that the total enrolment in government schools in Telangana State was only 38.11 per cent (27.8 lakh) compared to 60.75 per cent (43.31 lakh) in unaided schools.

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Except for 2021-22 (during the Covid pandemic), the trend in enrolment from 2018-19 to 2023-24 witnessed a steady increase in unaided schools. As per the UDISE statistics, out of 42,901 schools in the Telangana State, 70 percent (30,022) were government schools and 28.26 percent (12,126) were unaided schools.

Secretary, Department School Education, Sanjay Kumar, who chaired the meeting, expressed concerns over the enrolment trend, stating that in spite of substantial funding and expenditure students were shifting away from government schools. He asked the State government to make sincere analysis of the root cause and take remedial steps to reverse the trend.
The PAB report, released on Thursday revealed that the number of schools with zero enrolments and single teacher schools in 2023-24 went up when compared to previous year. Schools with 15 and less than 30 enrolments also increased. Kumar suggested the government undertake district-wise rationalization exercise to address the enrollment.

Further, the gross enrolment and net enrolment ratios were lower at the higher secondary level during the 2023-24 for which the State government was asked to take initiatives such as district-wise analysis of data to reduce GER and NER at all levels, tracking children who failed Class X and XII, and admitting them to National Institute of Open Schooling.

While the annual average dropout date in 2023-24 decreased across all levels, there was a five-percentage transition rate drop from secondary to senior secondary level. The State government was advised to upgrade schools up to Class X to Class XII to address the issue.