A significant decline in government school enrolment at both the primary and upper-primary levels across 23 States and Union Territories in 2024-25 has raised alarms within the Union government. In response, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has requested investigations and action plans from the affected states.
Minutes from meetings held by the MoE with 33 States and UTs in April, where they discussed performance, planning, and budgeting under the PM-POSHAN scheme, reveal that enrolment has dropped in 23 states. Notably, at least eight of these states saw declines of over 100,000 students, with Uttar Pradesh leading the way at a staggering 21.83 lakh, followed by Bihar at 6.14 lakh, Rajasthan at 5.63 lakh, and West Bengal at 4.01 lakh. gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
The PM-POSHAN scheme, which stands for Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman and was previously known as the midday-meal scheme, supports students up to Class 8 in government and government-aided schools. Launched three decades ago, it serves as a vital nutritional support program for children from pre-primary through Class 8 in these educational institutions.gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh ghgh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
The cost is split between the Centre and the States at a ratio of 60:40, with the Centre providing the food grains. Not only does this initiative aim to improve child nutrition, but serving cooked meals in schools has also been shown to enhance attendance, learning outcomes, and students’ attention spans.
In comparison to the 2023-24 school year, Karnataka experienced a drop in enrolment of about 2 lakh students; Assam saw a decrease of 1.68 lakh, Tamil Nadu by 1.65 lakh, and Delhi by 1.05 lakh (as illustrated in the chart).gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh ghgh gh gh gh gh gh gh
The School Education Secretary at the Ministry of Education expressed “deep concern” regarding this trend and urged States to investigate the underlying causes and submit their findings by June 30, as reported by The Sunday Express. gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
This decline was first highlighted late last year in the UDISE+ report for 2023-24, which indicated a significant drop of around 1.5 crore in total school enrolment (both government and private) compared to the average from 2018-19 to 2021-22. Minutes from the PM-POSHAN meetings suggest that this trend is continuing into 2024-25, raising new alarms within the government. gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
Officials from the Ministry of Education, who preferred to remain anonymous, pointed out two potential reasons for this decline. The first is a shift in how data is collected—from reporting total numbers by school to tracking individual students with details like names, addresses, parents’ names, and Aadhaar information. This ongoing “data cleansing” process may have eliminated “ghost” entries, they explained.
Secondly, officials mentioned that several States have indicated a possible shift in enrolment from government schools to private institutions in the years following the Covid pandemic, reversing the trends seen during the pandemic.gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh ghgh gh
The recent PM-POSHAN meetings highlighted a concerning trend: a drop in enrolment and low coverage of the midday meal scheme. In Delhi, the number of students receiving these meals plummeted by 97,000 from the previous year, with only 60% of Balvatika (pre-primary), 69% of primary, and 62% of upper-primary students being served—well below the national average. The Ministry of Education has urged Delhi to “strive” for better results. gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
In Uttar Pradesh, meal coverage decreased by 541,000 students, while Rajasthan saw a drop of 327,000 and West Bengal experienced a decline of 804,000. Some states reported that students are now bringing their own tiffins, and officials have emphasized the need to monitor and ensure the quality of the meals provided. gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh ghgh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh g
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