Araria: Enrolment in govt schools from Classes I to VIII has fallen by 88,078 in a decade in Araria district, raising concerns over the continuity of children’s education and the ability of the govt school system to retain students beyond the elementary level, according to an official report.The report said enrolment in Classes I to VIII stood at 6,35,180 in 2015-16 but fell to 5,47,102 in 2026-27, a decline of nearly 14%. Enrolment dropped from 6,35,180 in 2015-16 to 6,00,376 in 2016-17 and 5,54,095 in 2017-18, before plunging to 4,82,631 in 2018-19. Although enrolment has recovered somewhat since then, the current figure remains substantially below the level recorded in 2015-16.The sharper concern emerges at the transition from elementary to secondary education. In 2015-16, 46,415 students were enrolled in Class VIII, but only 31,527 students were admitted to Class IX in 2016-17. The number fell further to 28,207 in Class X, according to the report.The Araria figures gain significance against Bihar’s latest UDISE data. Bihar recorded an upper-primary-to-secondary transition rate of only 66.7% in 2024-25, compared with the national rate of 86.6%. The dropout rate was 9.3% at the upper-primary level and 6.9% at the secondary level, according to the UDISE report.The issue is particularly significant in Seemanchal, comprising Araria, Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj, a region that has historically faced educational disadvantages.Araria district education officer Saheb Alam attributed the earlier decline in govt-school enrolment partly to inadequate infrastructure and teaching resources. He said many govt schools previously faced shortages of teachers and basic facilities, including proper buildings and seating arrangements, which encouraged parents to send their children to private schools.Alam said the situation had changed considerably over the years, with improvements in govt schools and the use of technology-based systems such as APAAR IDs and e-ShikshaKosh to maintain students’ educational records and track enrolment.The explanation, however, does not fully address the continuing gap in enrolment figures. If infrastructure has improved and systems to track students have been strengthened, the data raises the question of where children who disappear from the govt-school enrolment pipeline are going, said an education expert.At a time when better infrastructure and digital tracking are being cited as signs of improvement, Araria’s enrolment figures raise the challenge of retaining students in govt schools, he added.
