Mohali sees 22.5% rise in admissions to govt schools

Sanjay Bumbroo
Tribune News Service
Mohali, September 17

In the wake of private schools increasing the fee, government schools in the district have witnessed 22.5 per cent increase in the number of admissions for Classes VI to XI.

While the number of admissions to government schools stood at 41,406 during the previous academic session, nearly 10,000 more students have taken admission this year. The total number has risen to 50,699. The admissions to Class XI have seen the maximum increase (33.82 per cent) — 5,567 students have taken admission this year, while 1,883 were admitted in the last session. About 1,670 students have taken admission to Class XI in various schools in the Kharar-3 block.

The Kharar-3 block tops in the district with more than 9,490 admissions followed by the Dera Bassi-1 and Dera Bassi-2 blocks with 7,486 and 7,065 admissions, respectively.

The district has been divided into eight blocks — Banur, Dera Bassi-1 and 2, Kharar-1, 2 and 3, Kurali and Majri. Dera Bassi-2 has seen the highest increase of 25.69 per cent followed by Kharar-3 with 25.14 per cent. The Dera Bassi-1 and Kharar-1 blocks have seen an increase of 23.76 per cent and 22.73 per cent, respectively, which is higher than the average of Mohali district.

Sources said as private schools had been increasing the fee every year, most parents were now preferring admitting their wards to government schools. Also, several people lost their jobs during the Covid-induced lockdown, forcing them to withdraw their wards from private schools and seeking admission to government schools. This has resulted in a steep increase in the number of admissions to government-run schools.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Himmat Singh said the district had witnessed 22.5 per cent increase in the admission to Classes from VI to XII till date, which was higher than the average in Punjab that stood at 15 per cent.

Himmat Singh said the online admissions introduced by Education Secretary Krishan Kumar had supported the admission process this year. He said as the admission process to various classes was still on, they hoped that more students would take admissions before the schools start.