Government Schools Witness Sharp Decline in Class 1 Admissions Across Maharashtra

Despite repeated enrolment drives and awareness campaigns, Maharashtra’s government schools have recorded a major fall in first-standard admissions, raising fresh concerns over the future of public education.

May 27, 2026 | Pune

Government schools run by local self-governing bodies across Maharashtra are witnessing a steep decline in Class 1 admissions despite continuous efforts by the state government to improve enrolment through the School Admission Festival initiative. Official data from the education department has revealed that first-standard enrolment in government schools has dropped by a staggering 1.37 lakh students over the last four academic years.

According to figures released by the state education department, Class 1 enrolment stood at over 8.15 lakh students in the 2022-23 academic year. The number gradually declined to 7.45 lakh in 2023-24, further slipped to 6.98 lakh in 2024-25, and has now fallen to nearly 6.77 lakh in 2025-26.

The alarming trend has exposed the limited success of the state government’s School Admission Festival campaign, which was introduced to encourage parents to enrol children in government-run schools. Education officials have admitted that despite conducting awareness drives and promoting benefits such as scholarships, free facilities, and educational schemes, student numbers continue to decline steadily.

Primary Education Director Sharad Gosavi and Secondary Education Director Dr. Mahesh Palkar have issued fresh directives to district administrations, municipal corporations, and education departments to intensify efforts for increasing enrolment. Teachers have been instructed to visit anganwadis and balwadis, interact with parents, and ensure eligible children are admitted to nearby government schools from the first day of the academic year.

However, experts believe parents are increasingly shifting towards private and English-medium schools due to concerns over educational quality in Marathi-medium government institutions. Rising aspirations among families, combined with the perception of better career opportunities through English education, are further accelerating the migration away from public schools.

Officials have now been asked to launch innovative local campaigns and increase public outreach through social media and community participation to revive confidence in government education institutions before the new academic session begins.

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