HYDERABAD: The Union government has raised concerns over the declining enrolment in government schools in Telangana.
During a recent Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE), noted that despite substantial funding and expenditure, students continue to move away from government schools, a trend it described as disturbing.
The Centre urged the state government to conduct a thorough analysis of the underlying causes and take corrective measures to reverse this trend.
The Union government pointed out that government schools account for only 38.11% (27.8 lakh) of the total enrolment, compared to 60.75% (44.31 lakh) in private schools. Data from 2018–19 to 2023–24, excluding the Covid-affected year of 2021–22, shows a steady rise in private school enrolments.
Telangana has a total of 41,901 schools, of which 30,022 (70%) are government-run and 12,126 (28.26%) are private-run.
The PAB minutes further revealed that in 2023–24, the number of schools with zero enrolment increased compared to the previous year.
Increase in number of single-teacher schools
Additionally, there was a rise in the number of single-teacher schools and schools with less than 15 or 30 students. The Union government recommended a district-wise rationalisation exercise to address these challenges.
On a positive note, the annual average dropout rate declined across all levels in 2023–24. Transition rates from primary to upper primary and elementary to secondary levels also improved. However, a 5-percentage-point drop was observed in the transition from secondary to senior secondary levels. To address this, the Centre suggested Telangana consider upgrading schools currently offering education up to Class 10 to include Classes 11 and 12.
Regarding the sanctioned 38 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalayas (NSCBAVs), the Centre noted that five remain non-functional. It urged the state to operationalise them at the earliest or consider surrendering them if activation is not feasible.
Meanwhile, the PAB approved Rs 1806.22 crore for implementing the Samagra Shiksha scheme in Telangana for 2025–26. Of this, the Centre’s share will be Rs 984.51 crore, while the state will contribute Rs 656.34 crore. The remaining amount will be drawn from the unspent balance as of March 31, 2025.
