Padmavati Prabhu
Panaji
Over 30 per cent of government primary schools (GPS) in the state have enrolment of less than 15 students, while over 60 per cent of the GPSs have enrolment of less than 30 students, the project approval board (PAB) for Samagra Shiksha has said.
“Out of the total 655 government primary schools in Goa, one school has zero enrolment, 439 schools have an enrolment of less than 30 students, and 213 schools have an enrolment of less than 15 students,” the PAB said.
Furthermore, there are 233 single-teacher schools operating across the state.
The PAB has said the state still needs to make an assessment of the single teacher and low enrolment schools and take corrective action to ensure adequate numbers of teachers in all schools particularly at the elementary level.
The PAB said that at the secondary level (Grades IX-X), the gross enrolment ratio (GER) is 108.1 and the net enrolment ratio (NER) is 77.1, showing a slight decline in age-appropriate enrolment, although the figures remain commendable compared to national averages.
At the higher secondary level (Grades XI-XII), the GER is 92.2 and the NER is 65.3, highlighting the need for further efforts to improve participation at higher grades.
Accordingly, the board has asked the state to analyse school-wise data.
The PAB has asked the state to proactively implement measures to improve GER and NER at higher secondary level, for effectively fulfilling the objectives of national education policy 2020.
In Goa educational indicators reflect a strong performance across different levels of schooling, the PAB pointed out.
“According to Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2023-24, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) at the elementary level (Grades I-VIII) stands at 119.3 and the net enrolment ratio (NER) is 100, indicating near-universal enrolment and high age-appropriate participation,” it said.
