Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Sep 1: Karnataka has recorded a slight decline in student enrolment for the 2024-25 academic year, despite state-run schools adopting English as the medium of instruction in recent years.

According to data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+), overall enrolment fell to 1,17,80,251 in 2024-25 from 1,19,26,303 in the previous year — a 1.3% dip. Private unaided schools admitted 56,63,887 students, significantly higher than government schools, which together enrolled 47,34,360 students.

The surge in admissions to government schools seen during the pandemic and shortly after appears to be reversing, with more children now returning to private institutions. Experts have attributed the trend to unfilled teacher vacancies and inadequate infrastructure in government schools, despite the language policy shift. “Government schools are lagging behind private institutions by nearly 30% in class 1 admissions. Without sufficient teachers and facilities, sustaining enrolment will remain a challenge,” said academic consultant Hemalatha Girish.

Officials in the department of school education and literacy, however, downplayed the fall, noting that most of the decline is concentrated at the higher-secondary level.