CHENNAI: The elementary education department on Wednesday said that 3.12 lakh students have enrolled in government and government-aided schools across Tamil Nadu from LKG to Class 8 so far this academic year. This includes 22,757 students in LKG and UKG, 2.25 lakh in Class 1, and 65,391 in classes 2-8. Among Class 1 admissions, 1.73 lakh students opted for Tamil medium, while 52,057 chose English medium.
The educational districts with the highest enrolment include Chennai (17,985), Chengalpattu (9,528), Tiruppur (9,385), Salem (8,573), and Tenkasi (8,019). Those with the lowest numbers are The Nilgiris (1,327), Dharapuram (2,082), Kovilpatti (2,544), Theni (2,559) and Oddanchatram (3,013).
Officials noted that total new admissions in primary and middle schools last year stood around 3.2 lakh and expect this year’s admissions to cross four lakh as enrolment continues till August.
Apart from schemes like free educational kit items including textbooks and uniforms and reservations in higher education for government school students, the absence of admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act in private schools this year has contributed to the increase in the enrolment, said officials.
This year, the state government did not notify admissions under the RTE Act in private schools, where 25% of seats are reserved for students from economically weaker sections, citing non-release of Samagra Shiksha funds from the central government. Under RTE, nearly 85,000 students are admitted every year in private schools and the government reimburses the fees to the schools.
“Teachers and educational officers have been instructed to identify and enrol all children aged five and above using health department data. We expect admissions to rise further,” said an official from the elementary education department. In a post on X, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi also congratulated education officials for the increase in enrolment figures.