New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Education has reported a decline in enrolment for classes 1 to 8 in government schools across 13 states and Union Territories, with Uttar Pradesh seeing the most significant drop of over 28 lakh students last year.
The data was presented during meetings between state officials and the project approval board (PAB) for the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme, or the midday meal scheme, with the minutes released by the ministry last week.
According to the data reviewed by ThePrint, the ministry noted a reduction of 28,69,670 students in the enrolment for classes 1 to 8 in government schools in Uttar Pradesh in the academic year 2023-24, in comparison to 2022-23. This was followed by West Bengal (3,70,719), Karnataka (2,82,012), Telangana (2,25,000), Jharkhand (2,23,690), Haryana (1,55,000), Kerala (1,32,941) and Madhya Pradesh (1,14,374).
Additionally, the ministry highlighted the drop in Himachal Pradesh (21,000), Tripura (15,527), Nagaland (10,000), Mizoram (9,889) and Puducherry (6,236) during the same period.
Officials in several states said that the drop is a result of “reverse migration” following the COVID-19 pandemic, and also highlighted that students who had moved from private to government schools due to financial constraints are now returning to private institutions.
According to the central government’s Unified District Information System for Education (UIDSE+) report released in 2022, close to four million students had shifted to government-run schools during the first year of the pandemic, 2020-21.
The ministry had also asked these states to implement corrective measures and submit reports. The ministry has not commented on the status of these reports, despite repeated requests by ThePrint. The report will be updated as and when a response is received.
‘Reverse migration’, shift to private schools
Officials in Uttar Pradesh said that the school education department has linked the decline in enrolment to students moving back to cities with their parents after normalcy returned post the pandemic.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022-23, we saw an increase of 25-20 percent in student numbers in government schools as many migrant workers and people, who had lost their jobs, returned to their hometowns. However, as conditions normalised in 2023, many of these families returned to cities, leading to a decline in government school enrolment in the state,” explained Pradeep Kumar Tiwari, Basic Shiksha Adhikari in Prayagraj, to ThePrint.
“It is still not known if they have enrolled in government or private schools, wherever they have moved.”
Tiwari further said that the state government has implemented measures to eliminate “ghost students” from their rolls. “Previously, many parents enrolled their children in government schools, while they were already registered in private schools to access benefits. Last year, the government streamlined the process and removed many of these ghost students from the rolls, resulting in an overall decrease in enrolment,” he said.
A senior official in Jharkhand’s school education department pointed to a similar trend. “Many parents could not afford private school fees during the pandemic, so they enrolled their children in government schools. However, as things have returned to normal, they are sending their kids back to private schools. There remains a strong preference for private education among parents and there is no shortage of affordable schools,” the official told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
In Karnataka, a senior official in the school education department noted an increasing trend in private school enrolments as government school enrolments decline.
“We have been observing a consistent decline in enrolment in government schools, particularly in the lower classes, in the last few years. This trend is driven by two factors: parents prefer English medium schools for their children, and they want their kids to attend Lower Kindergarten and Upper Kindergarten, which are still not widely available in government schools,” the official told ThePrint, requesting anonymity.
“We are working to expand these options within the government system to retain students.”
Experts, however, say that the trend is opposite in urban areas, like Gurugram, Noida, Delhi and Jaipur, with more admission seekers than available seats in government schools.
“Despite being the best option for marginalised, migrant and low-income communities, these schools struggle with several issues, like poor infrastructure, high child-teacher ratio and complicated online admission process that ultimately lead to dropouts. State governments should look into the actual causes of decline in enrolments in government schools,” said Sanjay Gupta, director of CHETNA, a non-governmental organisation that works to empower and educate marginalised and street children.
Low mid-day meal coverage
The Union ministry also expressed concerns about low coverage of mid-day meal services in several states last year, with Delhi reporting only 67 percent coverage for 1,760,915 enrolled students, according to the minutes of the meetings held by the ministry.
The minutes, accessed by ThePrint, noted, “The GNCT (Government of National Capital Territory) of Delhi is encouraged to enhance coverage relative to enrolment and a report on actions taken should be submitted by September 2024.”
In Uttar Pradesh, the document revealed, only 62 percent of the 1,74,11,532 enrolled students received mid-day meals in 2023-24, representing a drop of 8,46,866 students (7.8 percent) compared to the previous year. The PAB observed that the state government achieved coverage of 63 percent at the primary level and 59 percent at the upper primary level, both “below national averages”, and advised the state to improve these figures.
The Print tried to reach out to the Delhi government spokesperson and officials in Uttar Pradesh school education department for a comment on the matter. The response is yet to be received.
Meanwhile, experts say that effective implementation of the PM-POSHAN scheme has the potential to significantly transform the lives of millions of children across the country.
“This scheme can play a crucial role by delivering essential nutrients that support optimal brain development, ensuring that children not only survive but truly thrive in their educational journeys,” said Sonal Kapoor, founder and CEO of Protsahan India Foundation, a Delhi-based NGO dedicated to trauma-informed child care for marginalised children and adolescent girls.
Kapoor emphasised that the underutilisation of PM-POSHAN represents a “missed opportunity” to tackle this critical issue, and improve the overall well-being and educational outcomes for vulnerable populations. “By fully leveraging the resources and benefits of the scheme, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children, helping them reach their full potential,” she said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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