Admissions in BMC schools at all-time low

The condition of Municipal schools in the city is getting worse every year, though the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) promises to improve its services. There is a drastic decline in enrollment in the last eight years, with a difference of 68,325 students. On the contrary, the BMC budget on education has nearly tripled in the same period from Rs 911 crores to Rs 2, 567 crores, said a report published by Praja Foundation in Mumbai on Wednesday. 

The report also stated that the enrollment of children in municipal schools in 2011-12 was 439,153 which has now fallen to 383, 485 in 2015-16. “The number of children enrolling in BMC schools has fallen far beyond it was expected. If this continues, in 2019-20 we may have only 5,558 students enrolling in Class I,” said Nitai Mehta, Founder of Praja Foundation. 

The Class I enrollment in civic schools has dropped by 45 per cent in the last seven years. According to the report, 46 per cent parents perceive that sending their children to municipal schools will limit their future scope while 55 per cent feel that education in municipal schools is not very good. Ironically, BMC’s per capita expenditure for every student is Rs 49, 835 in 2016-17. 

“The school management committees should focus should on teacher training and capacity-building,” said Mehta.