Those are not just isolated cases. In several states, there has been a sharp rise in enrolment in government schools after Covid-19 struck.
As hundreds of small private schools closed and parents faced financial crunch, government schools with nominal fees registered a big jump in admissions.
In Madhya Pradesh, as many as 1,29,126 children shifted to government schools between April and November 2020, according to the state education directorate data.
In Punjab, 1,86,480 students shifted from private to government schools. In UP, the enrolment in government schools increased by around 5 per cent at primary and upper primary.
‘Primary’ concerns
A survey conducted by the Association of Private Schools in UP was an eye-opener. Around 10 per cent students of private schools have shifted to government institutions at primary and upper primary levels.
According to an estimate, UP has around 50,000 low-fee schools of which 30,000-odd are facing closure for dearth of funds.
Around 60-70 lakh children enrolled in these schools have turned to government schools or have just dropped out.
In Madhya Pradesh, although it’s still too early for the actual enrolment and dropout data for last year to be available, sources from private school associations say over one lakh students from 38,000-plus private schools could have switched to government schools, largely owing to parents’ inability to pay fees.
Opening up to new ideas
The Rajasthan State Open School saw a sharp increase in admissions in Classes X and XII last year, indicating people are shifting their wards from expensive private schools.
A row involving 50,000 private school owners and the state government over relaxation in fees is pending in court. The state government is yet to collate the data on admissions in 2020.
But, according to education department officials, the number of admissions in government schools in the academic year 2020-21 was 85 lakh, an increase of 3 lakh over the previous year.
The government has opened 167 English medium schools for the first time. Saurabh Swami, director, school education, says 70,000 admissions have taken place in these schools.
“There is a craze for shifting to government schools. Parents know in government schools, education is being imparted through various means whereas private schools are closed,” he said.
In Bihar, 6,000 out of 25,200 private schools closed due to financial constraints, according to national president of Private School and Children Welfare Association, Shamael Ahmad.
A number of the whopping 19.6 lakh children studying in these 6,000 private schools have dropped out. Punjab education officials said 6.36 per cent of students shifted to government schools.
Private schools insisting on full fees is the main reason for this. Krishan Kumar, education secretary, said, “We started smart schools and improved the results of government schools.”
UTTAR PRADESH
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) produced during the pandemic says more children from rural background preferred govt schools in 2020
ASER surveyed 7,882 rural kids (5-16-yr age group) in 5,912 households. It reported a drop in pvt enrolment by over 10% this year. In 2018, kids enrolled in private schools were 49.7%. The figure came down to 39.4% this year
Govt schools see a rise of 5% in enrolment of students during pandemic. Low-budget private schools witness a shift of around 10% students to govt schools
Madhya Pradesh
In MP, over 1.29 lakh pupils shifted from private to government schools from April to November this year.
Out of these 74,960 were boys, while 51,166 were girls.
Education from Class I to Class VIII is free in govt schools. The annual fee for classes IX to XII ranges between Rs 500-Rs 2,500.
With reporting by Namita Bajpai in Lucknow, Rajesh Asnani in Jaipur, Rajesh Kumar Thakur in Patna, Harpreet Bajwa in Chandigarh and Anuraag Singh in Bhopal