Class 1 enrolment in public schools up

Figure put at 12,198 after the sixth day verification

The number of students enrolled in Class 1 in government and aided schools has increased by 12,198 this year, Director of Public Instruction K.V. Mohan Kumar has said.

Government schools registered an increase of 5,703 students this year, while aided schools recorded an increase of 6,495 students.

This was revealed in statistics of the customary sixth-day verification in government and aided compiled by the statistical wing of the Directorate of Public Instruction using the Sampoorna software of the

IT@School .

The figures showed an uncharacteristic fall in the number of students in recognised unaided schools by 1,122 students.

In 2016-17, the enrolment in Class 1 in government and aided schools had fallen by 4,512 students from the year before. This means an increase of 16,710 students this year from that in 2015-16.

The total number of students in Class 1 in government, aided, and unaided schools was 3,04,947 last year. This has increased to 3,16,023 this year.

The number of new admissions from Class II to IX in government and aided schools was 1,45,208.

The number of students in Class V and Class VIII in government and aided schools increased by 40,385 and 30,083, respectively, this year.

The increase in the number of students has been maximum in government schools, a release by the DPI says. An analysis shows that such an increase is for the first time in nearly a decade in the public education sector.

The maximum increase in all classes in public schools was recorded in Thrissur – 7,581 students. The maximum number of students is in Malappuram – 7,17,697.

The total number of students in public schools has dropped only by 20,837 students this year from 37,01,577 students in 2016-17, courtesy the various initiatives to improve school education as part of the General Education Protection Mission, the release adds.