Over 32% of 1.85 lakh students who were enrolled in a certain number of private schools for the 2019-20 academic year were not admitted the following year, according to a sample survey conducted by the Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka (KAMS).
The survey was conducted across 250 private schools in Karnataka, though the association has 3,600 member schools. The association said this data has been submitted to the High Court of Karnataka, which is hearing a case pertaining to fees charged by private schools during the pandemic.
While 1.85 lakh students had been admitted in these schools, enrolment dropped in the 2020-21 year to 1.25 lakh. D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the association, said school managements were unaware if these students were admitted in other schools. However, he alleged that the information has not been updated in the Student Achievement Tracking System. Most schools continue to show that these students are enrolled and that they have been auto-promoted, he said. “The data of the students enrolled is likely to be inaccurate in both private and government schools,” said the association at a press conference on Saturday.
Even among the students enrolled, not all have paid the full fee. The sample survey found that only 45% of the parents had paid the tuition fee in its entirety. Around 17% had paid three-fourth of the fee, while 12% had paid between 50% and 75% of the annual fee. Nine percent of the students surveyed had paid less than 25% of the fee.
