Dakshina Kannada: A total of 90 schools, including primary and secondary institutions, across Dakshina Kannada recorded zero admissions over the last five academic years, according to recent data. Among these, the majority are aided schools, followed by unaided schools, while only 18 are government schools.
Closure of schools with persistent low enrollment
Schools that fail to secure admissions even after three years of zero enrollment have decided to shut down permanently. This academic year alone, 20 schools have already been reported with zero admissions — eight government schools, two unaided, and the remaining aided schools.
GS Shashidhar, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada, said, “After a school receives zero admissions, we have a waiting period of three years. Even after that, if it fails to get admissions, it is considered closed.”
Regarding government plans for merging schools with low enrollment, Shashidhar stated that no directions have been received yet.
Areas most affected
Several lower primary schools in Sullia, Moodbidri, and Puttur recorded zero admissions. The highest number of zero-enrollment aided schools falls within the Mangaluru South, Bantwal, and Mangaluru North BEO limits.
Reasons for low enrollment
Officials noted that aided schools are the worst affected as they do not receive government funding. Managements often prefer converting Kannada-medium schools to English medium or CBSE for profitability.
In the case of unaided schools, closure is often due to management, legal, and financial issues.
Conclusion
The trend of falling admissions is prompting schools to shut down or reconsider their medium of instruction, highlighting the challenges faced by Kannada-medium and aided schools in Dakshina Kannada. Authorities are yet to formalise plans for mergers or support measures for affected schools.