Thiruvananthapuram: The number of students attending state public schools has once again dropped this year. V. Sivankutty, the Education Minister, revealed that there has been a reduction of 10,164 students compared to the previous academic year. It’s estimated that around 84,000 students from grades 1 to 10 have left. The school’s failure to disclose these numbers, even months after the commencement of the academic term, has sparked controversy.
As per data available on the government portal, the count of students attending classes in government schools this year was 99,566. Aided schools saw an attendance of 1,58,583 students. A total of 2,58,149 students were registered for Class 1 across both government and aided sectors. In contrast, last year’s records indicated that 2,68,313 students were enrolled in Class 1.
In the current academic year, the total count of students attending classes 1 to 10 in government and aided schools stands at 34,04,724. This reflects a decrease of approximately 84,000 students compared to the previous year. Student numbers have decreased across all districts of the state, except for Palakkad. When including unaided schools, the overall student population in the state amounts to 37,46,647.
The student count is tabulated on the sixth working day following the school’s commencement. However, even after months, the government has refrained from disclosing the statistics, prompting strong criticism suggesting that the student enrollment might be low. Even in the data released after a span of two months, the education department has failed to provide a clear reason for the decline in student numbers.
In previous years, the government had highlighted the increase in students attending public schools as a notable accomplishment. However, over the past two years, there has been a substantial reduction in student enrollment, significantly impacting the government’s reputation.
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