HYDERABAD: A quiet but troubling shift in enrolment patterns across Telangana’s schools suggests a deepening crisis for the state’s public education system. If current trends continue, government schools may find themselves on the brink of irrelevance within a decade.
What was once a robust network of state-run schools now faces a stark reality: parents are increasingly choosing private institutions over public ones. In the current academic year, only 31% of students from Classes 2 to 10 are enrolled in government schools, while 59% attend private institutions. An additional 10% are enrolled in residential schools such as Gurukuls and KGBVs, underscoring the waning trust in state-run education.
Public to private: A growing shift
The data paints a grim picture. While the government continues to promote public schools, the ground reality tells a different story. This academic year, 1,899 government schools recorded zero enrolment—an alarming jump from just over 1,100 schools three years ago. Of these, 1,811 are primary schools.
Meanwhile, the private sector is quietly expanding. The Education Department approved 350 new private schools this year alone—continuing a trend of 300 to 400 new permissions annually. The tilt toward private education is no longer gradual; it is a full-scale shift.
Telangana has 26,861 government schools, accounting for 64.5% of the total number of schools in the state. Yet, these cater to only 31.93% of the student population. In contrast, private schools—comprising just 27.59% of the total—accommodate a dominant 59% of students.
Blame game and declining trust
The government blames teachers for the exodus, accusing them of negligence and lack of accountability. Teachers, in turn, point to systemic failures—poor infrastructure, lack of basic facilities, and insufficient monitoring. As both sides deflect responsibility, the core issues remain unresolved.
The departure of Class 10 students further impacts enrolment figures. Of the 18 lakh students in government schools, 1.5 lakh completed SSC this year. Unless the same number of new students join at the entry level, total enrolment could fall to just 16.5 lakh—a deficit that threatens the viability of several schools.
A slow fade into obscurity?
This declining trust in public education has significant consequences. Government schools, once the backbone of inclusive education, are increasingly being seen as redundant. The shift isn’t just about better facilities or English-medium teaching—it’s about perception. Parents now associate quality education with private institutions, leaving public schools behind.
Unless swift and comprehensive reforms are implemented to restore faith in the system, Telangana’s government schools risk fading into obscurity—empty buildings echoing with the absence of the very future they were built to shape.
