Assam’s schools increase student enrollment by over 63,000 during the Covid pandemic

The education department recently collated the enrollment data of all students from classes 1 to 12 and found that the total number has increased despite fears of dropouts due to the impact of the pandemic.

According to a datasheet, which is available with PTI, the total number of students in government, aided, tea garden managed and enterprise (established by people of a locality) schools has increased from 56,21,203 in November 2021 to 56,84,487 . September 2020.

The figures showed an increase of 63,284 students registering an increase of 1.13 per cent in total enrollment.

Of this, the largest increase was in the primary category, comprising classes 1 to 8, with 72,097 more enrollments in a 15-month period.

There were 44,92,085 students in the initial section of all non-private schools in Assam in September 2020, which increased to 45,64,182 in November 2021.

Students of higher secondary schools of class 11th and 12th also saw an increase of 3,44,657 enrollments from 3,17,446 to 27,211 during the period under consideration.

The only segment that saw a drop in the number of students was secondary, which includes classes 9 and 10.

The total number of students in the secondary sections declined from 8,11,672 students in September 2020 to 36,024 in November last year to 7,75,648.

Official data shows that taking into account the various parameters, classes 5, 6, 9 and 12 recorded a decline in student enrollment, while the rest saw an increase in the number of new students.

When contacted, Roshni Aparanji Korati, mission director, Assam Sarba Shiksha Abhiyan, told PTI that several initiatives have been taken by the government to increase the enrollment rate – admitting fresh students as well as bringing back drop out children.

He said, “We carried out an extensive enrollment drive, which yielded positive results. Other steps like hostel facility in schools, free uniforms and books, nutritious food at the primary level, scholarships, mentoring of students and induction of qualified teachers, among others got help.”

Korati said the government has strengthened attendance monitoring systems for both students and teachers, as well as setting up local resource groups to help maintain quality in schools.

He said, “We have involved various NGOs and continuously worked on creating awareness among parents, guardians and communities to send their children to schools. During the pandemic, we have decided to organize school according to the convenience of the children. Time has changed too.”

A social activist working closely with the government in the field of children’s education said that many low-income parents shifted their children from private schools to government schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These low-income families were shattered due to the pandemic. Many of them could not pay the high fees of private schools. This is also a big reason for higher enrollment in government schools,” he said, without anonymity.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.