Srinagar, Jan 18: A new study has revealed that student enrollment in private schools has increased post-pandemic period in Jammu and Kashmir,
Status of Education Report 2022 has revealed that enrolment of children aged 6-14 has increased from 40.1 percent in 2018 to 43.6 percent in 2022.
During the same period, the enrollment percentage of students aged 6-14 in government schools has fallen from 58.3 percent to 55.5 percent.
In 2020 and 2021, schools across India remained mostly closed due to the enforcement of lockdowns in the country. During the year 2022, all the states and union territories except Jammu and Kashmir has shown an increase in the enrollment of students in government schools.
In India, West Bengal saw an increased trend of admission of students in government schools, where the enrollment percentage increased to 92.2 in 2022. It was followed by Odisha (92.1%), Gujarat (90.9%), and Tripura (86.1%).
In Jammu and Kashmir, the enrollment percentage of the students aged 7-16, 11-14, and 15-16 years in private schools during last year has been recorded at 41.6%, 42.6%, and 28.8%, respectively.
For government schools, the enrollment percentage of students aged 7-16, 11-14- and 15-16 years last year as per the survey has been recorded 56.8%, 56.3%, and 65.9%, respectively.
Private Schools’ Association Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) claimed that the upgradation of facilities and infrastructure during the pandemic has been a driving force for parents to enroll their children in private schools.
“Despite challenging times due to COVID-19, private schools did a commendable job. While there was already an online mode of teaching in force, our teachers went door-to-door to give their best to their students. The increase in the enrollment is a result of the hard work done by the schools in Jammu and Kashmir,” chairman PSAJK G N Var said.
Var said that private schools introduced various exchange programmes apart from updating their teachers with the latest technologies and trends during the pandemic.
“We continued holding exchange programmes with various schools of Jammu and Kashmir. Resource persons were brought from various states of India and abroad to give special lessons to our students. During the pandemic and post-pandemic, our schools performed well in various board and competitive examinations,” he said.
