Haryana govt schools see dip in admissions

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, September 18

The Department of School Education has recorded a decline of 38,976 admissions to Class XI in government schools across the state as compared to the last academic session. The situation is the same in the case of Class X.

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Youth are opting for courses at ITIs and polytechnics after matric, which is why the decline in pupils’ strength in Class XI. Virendra Malik, DEO, Rohtak

Though the department is yet to ascertain the reasons behind the decline, experts cite return of students to private schools after Covid and youngsters’ inclination towards job-oriented courses at ITIs and polytechnic colleges responsible for the trend.

As per official record, a total 2,00,946 students were enrolled in Class XI in government schools across the state in the previous session, but the number has gone down to 1,61,970 in this session. Similarly, the government schools saw the admission of 2,01,962 students in Class X last year while the figure is 1,84,106 in this session, a difference of 17,856 students. The last date for admission to Classes IX to XII was September 15.

“The government schools saw a considerable improvement in the enrolment of students during Covid in 2020 and 2021 as the pandemic forced parents to shift their wards to these schools to avoid paying the hefty fee of private schools, which started online classes,” said an official of the Education Department on condition of anonymity.

Virendra Malik, District Education Officer, Rohtak, said, “Youths are opting for job-oriented courses at ITIs and polytechnic colleges after matriculation, which is one of the reasons behind the decline in students’ strength in Class XI.”