New Delhi: The Centre has reported a decline in the number of government schools in Kerala. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary informed K. Radhakrishnan on Monday that between the academic years 2021-22 and 2023-24, 201 government schools in the state were shut down.
His statement came in response to a question on the closure of government schools across India. According to the official figures, Kerala had 5,010 government schools in 2021-22. By 2023-24, the number had reduced to 4,809, marking a drop of 201 schools in just two years.
The data further revealed that Kerala had 5,014 government schools in 2019-20. This figure rose slightly to 5,020 in 2020-21, then fell to 5,010 in 2021-22, 4,811 in 2022-23, and 4,809 in 2023-24. Similar fluctuations in the number of government schools were observed in several other states.
However, the Centre said in its reply that Bihar, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana have all recorded an increase in the number of government schools over the past five years.