Enrolment witnessing sharp dip, govt schools becoming ‘unviable’ in Himachal Pradesh

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, July 4

A continuing exodus from government schools to private schools over the last two decades has left several primary and upper primary schools “unviable” in Himachal Pradesh.

The enrolment in government primary schools (Class I to V) has declined from around six lakh in 2003-2004 to around 2.80 lakh in 2023-24, a decline of over 50 per cent. Similarly, the enrolment in upper primary section (Class VI to VIII) has dropped from around 3.75 lakh to two lakh during this period, a drop of over 45 per cent.

Concern flagged

• Government has flagged the concern at a meeting with Union Secretary Education
• The enrolment in government primary schools (Class I to V) has declined from around six lakh in 2003-2004 to around 2.80 lakh in 2023-24, a decline of over 50 per cent.
• The enrolment in upper primary section (Class VI to VIII) has dropped from around 3.75 lakh to two lakh during this period.

“The declining enrolment has made many of our schools unviable. We have flagged this issue in a recent meeting with the Secretary, Education, Government of India. The declining enrolment in government schools is a pan-India problem but it seems more pronounced in our state,” said Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary, Education.

As per the data of Education Department for 2023-24, around 53 per cent primary schools have strength of less than 20 students, catering to merely 23.2 per cent of the total enrolment in this section. Over 2,100 primary schools out of the total of 10,363 primary schools have strength less than 10 students. Similarly, in upper primary schools, 60.49 per cent schools have less than 20 students. As many as 379 schools out of the total 1,846 upper primary schools have less than 10 students.

“The problem of low enrolment is not limited to tribal districts like Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti. We are witnessing a similar trend in populous districts like Una and Kangra,” said Kanwar. The government has recently taken initiatives like forming cluster schools for sharing of resources, schools of excellence and introduction of English as a medium of instruction from Class 1 to curb the migration to private schools.

Private schools, meanwhile, have significantly boosted their enrolment numbers over the last two decades. In the primary section, the enrolment in the last 20 years has almost tripled in private schools – from around 80 lakh in 2003-04 to around 2.40 lakh in 2023-24. The enrolment in the upper primary section has risen from around 40,000 to around 1.25 lakh. Apart from the exodus to private schools, the declining total fertility rate (TFR) is also partly responsible for the declining enrolment numbers. As per the department’s data, the population in the 6-14 age group is declining steadily – from nearly 12 lakh 2017, the population in this age group will be between nine to 10 lakh in 2030.