In just two years, the total number of students in the government schools in the State has come down by about 2.14 lakh.
According to statistics provided by Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait during a reply to Bharatiya Janata Party member C.T. Ravi in the Assembly on Wednesday, the students strength in the government schools has reduced from 48,64,509 in 2014-15 to 46,50,349 in 2016-17. This pertains to students from Class 1 to 10.
The minister mainly blamed the craze among parents to educate their wards in English medium as the main reason for decline in students’ strength in the government schools. Also, the number of English medium private schools had increased, he pointed out.
He cited migration of families to urban areas as the reason for decline in students’ enrolment in government schools in villages.
To increase the students’ strength in government schools, various measures were being implemented to improve the quality of education. In this regard, graduate teachers were being appointed for classes 6 to 8, he said.
The ministry is also planning to set up pre-primary schools as there were no government pre-primary schools in government sector so far, he said.
In addition to this, efforts were being made to efficiently implement welfare measures such as providing free uniforms, shoes , bicycles, mid-day meal scheme and Ksheera Bhagya, he said.
However, the Opposition members, including Mr. Ravi, alleged that poor infrastructure such as dilapidated condition of school buildings was the main reason for decline in students’ strength in government schools.
Janata Dal (S) member Y. S. V. Datta argued that the Right to Education (RTE) was the main reason which had made the parents to switch their wards from government schools to private schools. He even suggested that the RTE should be stopped.
Bengaluru North and South see marginal increase in students’ strength
While the total number of students in government schools has decreased from 2014-15 to 2016-17, their number has marginally increased in Bengaluru city.
According to the break-up of students’ strength in government schools in different districts furnished to the Assembly by Mr. Sait, the students in government schools has increased in Bengaluru North during the above period by 1,982; in Bengaluru South by 2,038. At the same time, the students’ strength has decreased in Bengaluru Rural by 4,654.
