Students’ shortage: 25 govt schools in Ballari face closure | Hubballi News

Ballari: Despite govt initiatives to improve education quality and attract students to public schools in Ballari district, student numbers continue to decline.Of the district’s 720 govt schools, 194 have reported reduced enrolment this academic year. “Moerover, 25 of these schools have not seen their student numbers exceed a single digit. This is a reflection of the lack of enrolment of children,” states Shanthappa Bellad, a parent from Toranagallu.The district has 229 govt lower primary schools (including 1 aided), 443 higher primary schools (including 41 aided), and 124 govt high schools (including 34 aided) across five taluks. The govt provides free uniforms, textbooks, footwear, hot meals, eggs, milk, bananas, and qualified teachers to ensure quality education and prevent malnutrition.“However, the number of children turning to govt schools is decreasing year by year owing to the parents’ obsession with English medium,” states DDPI B Umadevi. She notes that Urdu and Telugu medium schools are particularly affected by low enrolment rates.Among govt schools, only a few students enrolled in 194 schools, which include primary, higher primary, and 39 high schools for the 2025-26 academic year. Notably, LKG and UKG classes have no enrolments at all. There are 656 students in class 1, 786 in class 2, 791 in class 3, 944 in class 4, 1,102 in class 5, 187 in class 6, 165 in class 7, 47 in class 8, 31 in class 9, and 23 in class 10.“House-to-house visits were carried out in both urban and rural regions for eight days before the commencement of the school year to boost the enrolment of children in govt schools. However, parents seem to lack enthusiasm for enrolling their children,” remarks Andanagouda Malipatil, a teacher from Siruguppa.The situation is dire in 25 govt schools, including Kannada, Telugu, and Urdu medium institutions. The Govt High School and Telugu Medium High School in KHB Colony, Siruguppa taluk, have registered just one student each.In this context, the Education Reform Committee had organised a meeting in June, focused on informing parents about the resources accessible in govt schools. As a result, there was a significant rise in enrolment in numerous schools throughout the district.DDPI B Umadevi explains that schools with low attendance are being consolidated with nearby institutions to ensure educational continuity, particularly affecting Urdu and Telugu medium schools.The shortage of permanent teachers and poor infrastructure are noted as the key reasons for parents’ unwillingness to send their children to govt schools. This is considered as the main cause behind decreasing enrolment rates.