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Jaipur: Children are provided free education in government schools of Rajasthan. Copy-books, bags, dresses and mid-day meals are also provided free of cost. The government spends crores of rupees every year on publicity, despite this the number of students is declining every year.
A decrease of about 20 lakh students has been recorded in the government schools of the state in the last 3 years. Despite the change in the government, this decline is not stopping. While the Education Minister is presenting his claims with political rhetoric, experts believe that this situation has arisen due to the indifference of the governments and arbitrary implementation of schemes. Lack of teachers and resources, as well as lack of willpower, is considered to be the main reason for this. The situation has become so serious that it seems difficult to change the condition and direction of government schools without any major change or miracle.
Decreasing enrollment of students in government schools
According to the data, in the session 2021-22, 97,15,989 students were enrolled in government schools in Rajasthan, while in the current session 2024-25, this number has come down to 78,03,846. That is, more than 19 lakh students turned away from government schools in three years. Interestingly, the number of students has increased in private schools at a faster rate than the decrease in government schools. In 2021-22, there were 75,16,590 students in private schools, while in the current session this number has increased to 98,20,465 — that is, an increase of more than 23 lakhs in three years.
65,000 schools in the state which provide education from first to twelfth class
During the Corona period, when the infection was at its peak, as an exception, an increase in the number of students was seen in government schools and a decline in private schools. Talking about the session 2018-19, there were 82,58,519 students in government schools, while this number was 83,27,250 in private schools. It is worth noting that about 65,000 schools are run under the Rajasthan Education Board, which provide education from first to twelfth class. In most of the schools, primary and secondary education is given in the same campus, although their administrative officers are different.
There is a need for about 5.75 lakh teachers in government schools in the state, but currently only about 4.5 lakh teachers are working. That is, about 1.25 lakh posts of teachers are vacant, which is about 22% of the total. The same situation is with the posts of employees.
Teacher recruitment process is being started – Education Minister
The current government led by Bhajanlal Sharma claims that 28,000 teachers have been recruited in its one and a half year tenure. Education Minister Madan Dilawar says that the recruitment process of 60,000 more teachers is being started, which will be completed soon. Apart from this, 28,000 teachers have been promoted, and preparations are on to promote 15,000 to 20,000 more teachers in the coming days.
Minister Madan Dilawar claims that his government is taking necessary steps to improve government schools and positive results will be seen soon. However, sometimes he blames Corona and sometimes the previous Congress government. He says that the current figures are a result of the policies of the Congress government.
At the same time, experts say that no matter which party is in power, no special interest is taken in the condition of government schools. Thousands of posts of teachers and employees are vacant. Apart from teaching, teachers are also asked to do many other non-educational works. Many leaders and officials have opened their own private schools, from which they make huge profits.
According to education expert Naveen Kumar Sharma, leaders and officials themselves do not send their children to government schools, due to which the general public loses faith in these schools. Apart from this, social prestige (status symbol) is also a big reason – the middle class feels that children studying in government schools will be considered poor. The policy of not failing children from first to eighth class is also lowering the level of education.
Many government schools exist only in figures, they have no solid basis in reality. The rules are so lax that even a day before the exam, a student can register and sit for the exam, and even if he leaves the copy blank, he will not fail – he will only get a low grade. In such a situation, it is natural for parents to think that the future of their children is at stake, so they are forced to pay expensive fees of private schools.
It can be said that governments keep changing in Rajasthan, but the condition of government schools remains the same. This is the reason that despite spending crores of rupees, the number of students in government schools is decreasing. Experts fear that if the situation remains the same, government schools may become a part of history in the next 20-30 years. Anyway, votes are not cast on issues like education in elections, perhaps this is the reason why governments do not pay serious attention to this.
