Despite various government efforts aimed at enhancing education quality and attracting students to public schools in the Ballari district, enrollment numbers continue to decline.
Out of the 720 government schools in the district, 194 have reported a decline in student strength this academic year. “Moreover, 25 of these schools have not crossed single-digit enrolments. This highlights the lack of admissions,” said Shanthappa Bellad, a parent from Toranagallu.
The district comprises 229 government lower primary schools (including one aided), 443 higher primary schools (with 41 aided), and 124 government high schools (including 34 aided) across five taluks. To ensure quality education and address malnutrition, the government provides free uniforms, books, shoes, hot meals, eggs, milk, bananas, and qualified teaching staff.
“Still, student numbers in government schools are dwindling each year, mainly due to parents’ growing preference for English medium education,” noted DDPI B Umadevi, adding that schools with Urdu and Telugu mediums have been hit the hardest.
In 194 government schools, only a handful of students have enrolled for the 2025-26 academic year, including 39 high schools. Notably, no enrolments have been recorded in LKG and UKG classes.
Currently, 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. “We conducted an eight-day door-to-door campaign in both rural and urban areas to boost enrolment in government schools. However, parents showed little interest,” said Andanagouda Malipatil, a teacher from Siruguppa.
The situation is particularly grim in 25 government schools, including Kannada, Telugu, and Urdu medium institutions. In Siruguppa taluk’s KHB Colony, both the Government High School and the Telugu Medium High School have just one student each.
In response, the Education Reform Committee convened a meeting in June to create awareness among parents about available resources in government schools. This led to increased enrolment in several institutions across the district.
According to DDPI Umadevi, low-enrolment schools are being merged with nearby ones to maintain educational continuity, with most affected being Urdu and Telugu medium schools. A shortage of permanent teachers and inadequate infrastructure are seen as major reasons behind the declining enrolment.