Key Concern Raised by the Centre
- Declining enrolment in government schools across multiple States and UTs, despite significant public expenditure.
- Student exodus towards unaided/private schools observed in at least 11 States/UTs, including Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Kerala.
Relevance : GS 2(Education ,Federalism)
State-wise Data Highlights (UDISE+ 2023–24)
Telangana
- Total schools: 42,901
- Govt. schools: 70% (30,022)
- Unaided schools: 28.26% (12,126)
- Govt. school enrolment: 38.11% (27.8 lakh)
- Unaided school enrolment: 60.75% (44.31 lakh)
Uttarakhand
- Total schools: 22,551
- Govt. schools: 71.84% (16,201)
- Unaided schools: 23.29% (5,252)
- Govt. school enrolment: 36.68% (8.7 lakh)
- Unaided school enrolment: 54.39% (12.9 lakh)
Tamil Nadu
- Govt. schools: 64% of total schools
- Govt. school enrolment: 37%
- Unaided schools: 21%
- Unaided school enrolment: 46%
Andhra Pradesh
- Total schools: 61,373
- Govt. schools: 73.32% (45,000)
- Unaided schools: 24.82% (15,232)
- Govt. school enrolment: 46.33% (40.5 lakh)
- Unaided school enrolment: 52.09% (45.53 lakh)
Maharashtra & Kerala
- Reduction in enrolment attributed to data cleansing using Aadhaar verification, not necessarily actual dropout or migration.
Centre’s Directives and Concerns
- States urged to:
- Conduct root cause analysis behind student preference for unaided schools.
- Take remedial steps to improve government school enrolment.
- Need to build a strong “government school brand” to regain public trust and optimize infrastructure and resources.
Broader Implications
- Wastage of public resources if facilities are underutilized.
- Quality perception and trust in govt. schooling system are likely eroding.
- Highlights growing inequality in access to quality education, especially for lower-income households.
Underlying Factors (Implied)
- Perception of better quality education and facilities in private schools.
- Teacher absenteeism, poor infrastructure, or curriculum gaps may be driving migration.
- Rising aspirations of middle-class families for English-medium/private education.
