Andhra Pradesh Govt School Enrolment Falls by Over 5.5 Lakh, Claims Former CM Citing UDISE Plus Data

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday claimed that enrolment in government schools in the state has declined sharply, citing data from the Ministry of Education's Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE Plus).

Jagan alleged that the UDISE+ figures for 2025-26 contradict the Andhra Pradesh government's claim that more than 1.1 lakh students had shifted from private schools to government schools, as per a PTI report.

According to the former chief minister, government school enrolment declined from 40,50,116 in 2023-24 to 34,93,450 in 2025-26, representing a fall of more than 5.5 lakh students. There was no immediate reaction from the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to the allegations.

Jagan compared UDISE Plus data from 2023-24, the final year of the previous YSRCP government, with figures for 2025-26.

He argued that if more than 1.1 lakh students had shifted from private schools to government schools, as claimed by the state government, the overall enrolment in government schools should have increased.

The former CM also pointed to a decline in the number of government schools during the period. According to the figures cited by him, the number fell from 45,000 in 2023-24 to 44,222 in 2025-26.

According to the PTI report, the number of government-aided schools have also declined, from 991 to 797, he claimed. In contrast, enrolment in schools under private management increased from 45,53,380 in 2023-24 to 48,40,296 in 2025-26, according to the figures cited by Jagan.

Jagan said the enrolment figures for government and government-aided schools, along with the rise in private-school enrolment, point to a concerning trend in the state's school education sector.

He alleged that the government's policies were weakening the government education system while facilitating the growth of private educational institutions.

The former CM further claimed that such a trend could make access to quality education more difficult for students from families who cannot afford private schooling.

Jagan also highlighted education-sector initiatives undertaken during the YSRCP government's tenure between 2019 and 2024.

Under the Mana Badi-Nadu Nedu programme, infrastructure was modernised in 56,703 government schools, welfare hostels and junior colleges, he said. The work included improvements to classrooms, furniture, drinking water and sanitation facilities.

The former CM said his government also introduced English as the medium of instruction from the primary level, along with bilingual textbooks and Oxford dictionaries for students.

According to Jagan, around 62,000 interactive flat panels were installed in classrooms from Class 6 onwards as part of efforts to promote digital education. He also claimed that 45,000 smart TVs were installed in schools with Classes 1 to 5.

The former CM said TOEFL was introduced from Class 3 to improve students' spoken English skills. An MoU was also signed with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for international TOEFL certification, he said.

Jagan further highlighted plans to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, describing it as another step aimed at enabling students from government schools to compete at the global level.

Lakshima Sareen is a Senior Copy Editor with the Digital Education Desk at Times Now, specialising in education news, exam updates, and policy reporti... View More