‘Sikhya Kranti’ on, dist data shows decline in govt school admissions

Ever since the AAP government came to power in Punjab, school education has remained a priority of the government. Efforts were made to turn these Schools of Eminence into those of happiness as per the state government instructions and masses were asked to send their children to government schools only as ‘best facilities’ were being offered by the government. Keeping this in mind, teachers are being forced to meet the targets given for enrolment in the last over three years.

But as far as the data at the district level is concerned, in the last three years, instead of huge improvement in admissions, there has been a gradual decline in it as far as the government schools in the district are concerned. The data with the Education Department shows that in 2023-24, there were a total 1,67,887 enrolments in government schools after the AAP government took over. While the enrolment campaign was intensified the following year in 2024-25, the admissions came down to 1,59,912 in the district. And in 2025-26, it further declined to 1,54,667.

The teachers teaching in government schools have held the government responsible for the decline in the enrolment process. Daljit Samrala, district president, Democratic Teachers Front, asked that for how long the fake publicity will work? He said, “The government is trying to run everything on advertisement basis. They are being exposed at every step and the ‘Sikhya Kranti’ is the recent example of government’s failure. The reality is very different from what is shown in the advertisements. There has been no basic teaching in the government schools. Instead, the teachers are given the duties due to which the education work in the government schools are being neglected. We cannot fool the masses. With the result, there has been a decline in the enrolment process.”

Recently, the Education Department has again started focussing on the enrolment process under the “Sikhya Kranti”, in which DEO, Primary, Ravinder Kaur went to different areas in the district, encouraging the masses to enrol their children in government schools.

Meanwhile, many teachers complain that the admissions are done in good numbers, but then the migrants leave the schools without telling anything and it becomes too difficult for the department to locate them again.