Enrollment in govt schools rose by 5% in pandemic year: Survey

New Delhi: The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have a reason to celebrate as in the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2021 it has been revealed that the enrollment of children in government schools has jumped from 65.8 per cent to 70.3 per cent over the last one year.

The report pointed out that the maximum increase in government schools has been registered in Uttar Pradesh (13.2 per cent), followed by Kerala (11.9 per cent). Rajasthan reported an increase of 9.4 per cent, followed by Maharashtra (9.2 per cent), Karnataka (8.3 per cent), Tamil Nadu (9.6 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (8.4 per cent), Telangana (3.7 per cent), Bihar (2.8 per cent), West Bengal (3.9 per cent) and Jharkhand (2.5 per cent).

The survey that aims to capture the transition in the education system in the country is based on a study that was conducted in 25 states and three Union Territories that covered a total of 76,706 households and 75,234 children in the age group of five to 16 years.

As per the report, there has been a clear shift from private to government schools at an all-India level. For children in the age group of six to 14, enrollment in private schools has decreased from 32.5 per cent in 2018 to 24.4 per cent in 2021, it said, adding, "This shift is seen in all grades and among both boys and girls. However, boys are still more likely to be enrolled in private schools than girls."

In government schools, the average enrolment in 2018 was 64.3 per cent which increased to 65.8 per cent last year and 70.3 per cent this year. From 2006 to 2014, there was a steady increase in private schooling.

"After reaching around 30 per cent for a few years, there has been a significant decline in the pandemic years. Even before Covid-19, the proportion of girls enrolled in government schools was higher than that of boys for each grade and age. This continues to be the trend over time," it noted.

However, the report said, "Time will reveal if these patterns constitute a transitory phase, as schools reopen across states or whether they become a permanent feature of schooling in rural India."

A total of 4,872 schools, which had reopened post their closure due to the pandemic, were surveyed physically while in-charges of 2,427 schools that had not opened at the time of the survey were contacted via phone.

According to the report, the proportion of children not currently enrolled in school increased from 1.4 per cent to 4.6 per cent in 2020. This proportion remained unchanged between 2020 and 2021.