In the first academic year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students joining pre-primary classes was almost 30 lakh lower than in the previous year, while almost 20 lakh fewer students enrolled in Class 1, according to a report released by the Education Ministry on Wednesday.
The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2020-21 also shows that almost 40 lakh students shifted from private and aided schools to Government schools, a move likely driven by financial distress of parents and smaller private schools due to the pandemic.
The UDISE+ report is based on voluntary uploading of data by schools, using a reference date of September 30, and is the first official data providing a snapshot of the status of school education since the pandemic disrupted classes in March 2020.
Overall enrolment in higher classes have increased in 2020-21, although most of these students never attended physical classes during the year. However, enrolment dipped for the early years.
“Although the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is cross-cutting, this is particularly noticed in the enrolment of young and vulnerable kids like pre-primary, class 1 and Children With Special Needs (CWSN) and may be attributed to postponement of admissions due to COVID-19,” said the report.
In 2020-21, there were 25.4 crore students enrolled in Class 1-12, more than 28 lakh higher than in 2019-20. However, enrolment of students in pre-primary level and class 1 reduced by 29.1 lakh and 18.8 lakh respectively. The enrollment of those with special needs also dipped 3.6% during the year.
The total number of teachers increased by just 8,000, and the pupil-teacher ratio actually worsened for upper primary and higher secondary classes.
The availability of infrastructure improved during 2020-21, although students were not present in classes to reap the benefits. Internet facilities were available in just 24.5% of schools in a year when classes moved to online and distance education, while computers were available in 41.3% of schools, and electricity connections were available in 86.9% of schools.
