Surge in government school enrolment during Covid-19 reversed, finds survey

Enrolment in government schools, which surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, has declined to pre-pandemic levels, according to the 2024 Annual Status of Education Report released on Tuesday.

The annual nationwide rural household survey, facilitated by non-governmental organisation Pratham Education Foundation, covered 6.4 lakh children in nearly 18,000 villages.

The proportion of children aged 6 to 14 enrolled in government schools has fallen back to 2018 levels. The figure had risen from 65.6% in 2018 to 72.9% in 2022 but dropped to 66.8% in 2024, according to the report.

“This almost complete reversal back to 2018 levels is seen across grades as well as gender, and is not particularly surprising given that the economy has recovered in other sectors as well,” the report said.

However, the report does provide data to show if enrolment in private schools correspondingly increased.

The survey also found that learning levels in primary classes had not only recovered from pandemic-induced losses but had surpassed past levels in some cases.

Reading skills

The survey also found that reading skills among Class 3 students in government and private schools had improved.

The proportion of Class 3 students able to read Class 2-level text fluently had risen from 23.6% in 2014 to 27.3% in 2018 before dropping to 20.5% in 2022. It recovered to 27.1%…

Read more