Girls’ enrolment up in govt schools

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 14

The number of girl students has gone up in government schools, indicating that the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign has yielded the desired result in the state. 

Girls outnumbered boys in enrolment in primary and middle classes in 2017-18 and the trend continued in 2018-19 too. However, at the secondary level, boys outnumbered girls marginally, while at the senior secondary level, the gap was almost bridged and reduced from 2,700 to 317, indicating that the girls are being encouraged to go for higher studies.

While the enrolment in all state schools decreased marginally from 13, 90,877 in 2017-18 to 13, 74,134 in 2018-19, in government schools, it dropped from 8, 54,879 to 8, 24, 073. The comparative reduction in enrolment in the primary section was 4,603, it was 12,462 in the middle and 12, 996 in senior secondary schools. 

However, at the secondary level, the drop was only 745. With the state government closing or merging 34 schools with enrolment less than 10 students, the total number of primary schools came down from 10,657 to 10, 623.

Only 62 per cent students from classes I to XII enrolled in government schools, while 2,778 private schools accounted for 38 per cent enrolment.Out of  the total enrolment of  13,74,135 in all schools, in government schools, the number was 8,42, 073,  while at the primary level, the enrolment in government primary schools was 2,98,210 against the total number of 5,80,679 (51 per cent) as per the latest report of  UDISE-Unified District Information System for Education for 2018-19.

However, the situation is better in classes XI and XII with 1,52,953 (76 per cent) enrolment against 2,00,387. The average student classroom ratio was 14 and average classroom size as per enrolment was 54. As many as 5,150 primary and 1,044 middle schools have less than 20 students and enrolment in 4,585 primary and 875 middle schools was between 21 and 60. The general enrolment ratio was 102.58 at the primary level, 102.91 per cent at the middle level, 107.4 per cent at the secondary level and 85 per cent at the senior secondary level. Similarly, the dropout rate was 0.26 per cent at the primary level, 0.20 at the middle level, 7.75 per cent at the secondary level and 9.03 per cent at the senior secondary level. The enrolment ratio for boys and girls was almost on a par but the dropout rate of girls was less as compared to boys. 

Nursery classes were started in 3,300 schools last year and 400 schools this year as a committee set up by the government had identified absence of these classes as one of the reasons for inclination towards private schools.