Govt schools in Sirsa witness decline in student enrolment

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, April 25

The number of students in government schools of Sirsa district is consistently decreasing. Compared to the last year, the number of students in government schools has decreased by around 17,000 this year. The Education Department is trying to identify the reasons behind this and efforts are being made by teachers and the Education Department to increase the student enrolment in government schools, including door-to-door campaigns. However, these efforts have not shown the desired results yet.

In the current academic session, a total of 1,14,428 students from preschool to Class XII are enrolled in government schools of the district but in the last academic session, 132,242 students were enrolled. This means that 17,814 students, who were studying in government schools last year, are not enrolled this year. Though the admission process is still ongoing and the results of Class XII have not been released yet but the difference in enrolment is considerable.

Teachers in government schools said that the Education Directorate had increased the age limit for admissions in schools from last year. They said condition that a child should be six years of age for admission in Class I was faulty. They said private schools admit children as young as three years old, leading parents to enroll their children in private schools. “If a student goes to a private school once, he do not come in government school ever,” he said. Another significant reason is that students have to prepare for competitive exams after Class X. Teachers believe that many institutes have opened in the district, which offer coaching for government jobs or sending students abroad after the Class X, diverting students from studies.

During the Pravesh Utsav (admission festival), teachers from government schools conducted door-to-door campaigns. Now, observing the decreasing number of students, the Education Department has issued instructions to all teachers to find dropouts.

Meanwhile, Buta Ram, District Basic Education Officer of Sirsa, said that efforts were underway from the department’s side regarding this matter. The admission process is also underway, he said.

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