17-05-2025
Concern over fall in enrolment in sarkari schools across State
Hyderabad: The Project Approval Board meeting for Samagra Shiksha in Telangana focused on discussing the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) for the years 2025-26 between the Central and Telangana State education officials. The Central officials expressed concerns over the increasing number of students leaving the government schools and joining the private schools.
The Central official pointed out that according to the enrollment data from government schools as per UDISE+, 'out of 42,901 schools in the State, 70 per cent (30,022) are government schools, while 28.26 per cent (12,126) are unaided schools. However, the total enrollment in government schools is only 38.11 per cent, equating to 27.8 lakh students, compared to 60.75 per cent or 44.31 lakh students enrolled in unaided schools.'
The State officials were told that the enrollment trends from 2018-19 to 2023-24 indicate that during 2021-22 (Covid-19) affected enrollments in unaided schools, which have been steadily increasing. The Union Secretary (SE&L) expressed concern that despite significant funding and expenditure, enrollment in government schools has been declining. The State Education Department is asked to conduct a thorough analysis of the root causes to implement remedial actions and reverse this trend.
The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrollment Ratio (NER) for 2023-24 are better when compared to previous years at the Primary, Upper Primary, Elementary, and Secondary levels. However, both ratios remain lower at the Higher Secondary level. The State was advised to take initiatives such as district-wise data analysis to reduce the gap between GER and NER at all levels, particularly at secondary and higher secondary levels. It was also suggested that children who fail in grades 10 and 12 need to be tracked to ensure they are admitted to appropriate educational opportunities, like the National Open Schooling mode.
Regarding dropout and transition rates, the average annual dropout rate in 2023-24 decreased across all levels compared to the previous year. However, a drop of 5 percentage points was noted in the transition rate from Secondary to Senior Secondary levels.
The educational officials were asked to develop a plan to upgrade schools that currently stop at class 10 to accommodate classes up to 12, which may help address the dropout issue.
In terms of school size and single-teacher schools, the number of schools with zero enrollments has increased compared to the previous year. Similarly, the number of single-teacher schools, as well as those with fewer than 15 and 30 enrollments, has also risen in 2023-24. Thus, it a recommended to conduct a district-wise rationalization exercise to address these concerns adequately.
The Gross Access Ratio (GAR) for Primary, Upper Primary, and Secondary levels is 98.34 and 91.84, respectively. The state was advised to examine the GAR at the Senior Secondary level, which are only 64.23.
On the inclusive education front, only 1 per cent of the total students are Children with Special Needs (CwSN). However, the representation in pre-primary to Class 4 is less than 1 per cent. The state is urged to pay special attention to their enrollment from class 1 and support their education through class XII.
Vacancies in Teacher Education Institutions, such as SCERT and DIETs, have decreased in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. However, more than 50 percent of vacancies in DIETs remain a concern. The state government is asked to address the issue of teacher vacancies both at schools and in TEIs.
The state was told that 'out of 38 schools sanctioned under NSCBAV (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalaya), five are not functional.' The State can either make these positions functional or, if it is not feasible, consider surrendering them.
The Central education officials pointed out that there are also significant delays in establishing ICT labs and smart classrooms, and substantial pendency in setting up skill education laboratories.
The state is requested to reevaluate the existing job roles in light of changing job market needs. Regarding fund utilisation from 2020-21 to 2024-25, it ranges from 69 per cent to 92.33 percent of the total available funds. The state is urged to aim for 100 per cent funds utilisation by developing comprehensive plans to complete the pending infrastructure projects, for better utilisation of approved non-recurring funds.
