The number of government schools declined by 8% but private schools increased by 14.9% in the past decade from 2014-15 to 2023-24, the government told Lok Sabha on Monday. There has been a decline of 89,441 government schools from 11,07,101 in 2014-15 to 10,17,660 in 2023-24 and an increase of 42,944 private schools from 2,88,164 to 3,31,108 in the same period.
There was a decline of 29,410 in Madhya Pradesh and 25,126 in Uttar Pradesh, which together contributed 60.9% of the total 89,441 reduction in government schools. Uttar Pradesh alone, with an increase of 19,305 private schools, contributed 44.9% to the total rise of 42,944 private schools in the country.
Madhya Pradesh, with a decline of 24.1% from 1,21,849 in 2014-15 to 92,439 in 2023-24, leads the list of nine states and Union Territories that have exceeded the national percentage of government school decline, according to data shared by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Education, in response to questions related to the closure and merger of schools. The questions were raised by Rachna Banerjee, Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Hooghly.
Madhya Pradesh is followed by Jammu and Kashmir, which saw a decline of 21.4% in government schools from 23,874 in 2014-15 to 18,758 in 2023-24. In the same period, Odisha’s government schools declined by 17.1% from 58,697 to 48,671; Arunachal Pradesh’s schools declined by 16.4% from 3,408 to 2,847; Uttar Pradesh’s government schools declined by 15.5% from 1,62,228 to 1,37,102; Jharkhand saw a decline of 13.4% from 41,322 to 35,795; Nagaland witnessed a decline of 14.4% from 2,279 to 1,952; Goa’s schools declined by 12.9% from 906 to 789; and Uttarakhand’s government schools declined by 8.7% from 17,753 to 16,201. Meanwhile, the number of government schools has increased in Bihar by 5%, from 74,291 in 2014-15 to 78,120 in 2023-24.
Though the minister did not specify the reason for the decline in government schools, he stated that education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and that “the opening, closing, and rationalisation of schools are within the purview of the respective state government and UT administration.” He added that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides for children’s access to elementary schools within a defined area or limits of their neighbourhood.
Section 6 of the RTE Act requires the government and local authorities to establish schools within a certain distance of children’s homes. In November 2023, NITI Aayog released a report emphasising the importance of school mergers, teacher rationalisation, and reforms in teacher education to enhance learning outcomes.
Growth of Private Schools
A total of 10 states have exceeded the 14.9% national increase in private schools, with Bihar leading at 179.14% growth, from 3,284 private schools in 2014-15 to 9,167 in 2023-24. Odisha follows with an 80.36% increase, from 3,350 to 6,042 private schools. Uttar Pradesh recorded a 24.96% increase, from 77,330 to 96,635 private schools.
Meanwhile, private schools have declined in three states and UTs: Meghalaya saw a decline of 5.36%, from 2,274 to 2,152; Delhi saw a 2.88% decrease, from 2,641 to 2,565; and Himachal Pradesh recorded a slight decline of 0.27%, from 2,614 to 2,607.
