In 7 yrs, number of govt schools 'dip' in Haryana, private up

The number of government high schools has declined from 1,207 in 2018 to 858 in 2025 in the state in the past seven years. On the other hand, the number of privately owned high schools has increased from 1,877 in 2018 to 2,096 in 2025, as per data provided by the Directorate of Secondary Education in reply to an application under the Right to Information Act.

Asked about the reason for the decline, education officials argued that the schools had been upgraded as senior secondary schools by the government.

RTI activist Subhash, who is state convener of the Haryana Right to Information Forum, stated that the figures indicated that the number of government schools was steadily declining. He said if the high schools had been upgraded, the middle schools—which enrolled students up to class VIII—should be upgraded.

The RTI reply also revealed that in 2018, the state had 2,110 government senior secondary schools. Following the upgrade, the number stands at 2,522.

On the other hand, the number of private senior secondary schools has more than doubled in the past seven years. In 2018, there were 1,979 private schools, but by 2025, the number has gone up to 4,057. It indicated that while the number of government senior secondary schools increased by only 412, 2,078 more private schools have come up in seven years.

Subhash said the data raises serious questions over the state’s education policy. He said the information obtained through RTI showed a steady decline in government schools and a sharp rise in private institutions, indicating reduced government focus on public education. He added that the education budget had been cut, and under the guise of the new education policy, the government appeared to be promoting the privatisation of education.

The Director of Secondary Education, Jitender Kumar, could not be contacted for his comments.