State data shows private school intake surpasses government schools for first time

Jaipur, July 9 — New figures from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) indicate that Rajasthan’s total school registrations fell from 1.67 crore in 2023‑24 to 1.59 crore in 2025, a reduction of over 8.4 lakh students.

Former chief minister Ashok Ghalot highlighted the statistic as a watershed moment: private‑school enrolments have now outnumbered those in government schools, a reversal never seen before in the state’s history. He attributes this shift to a loss of public confidence in the quality of state‑run education.

Ghalot underscored that teacher numbers have risen modestly to 7.9 lakh, yet student participation has plunged by more than 9.3 lakh, exposing a mismatch between staffing and actual classroom demand.

He criticized the incumbent BJP government for neglecting essential school maintenance, assigning teachers to duties unrelated to teaching, and allowing political interference in curriculum design. According to Ghalot, these factors have combined to erode the reputation of public schools.

The former premier called for an urgent review of the education model introduced by the previous Congress administration, which included English‑medium government schools, urging that it not be dismantled by short‑sighted policy decisions.