'Who is responsible?': Ashok Gehlot blames BJP for decline in Rajasthan government school enrolment

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on July 9 targeted BJP-led state government, alleging that more than 8.4 lakh students have dropped out of schools in the last two years. He believes that it is due to government's failure to strengthen the public education system and claimed that it is for the first time in the state's history that the enrollment in private schools has exceeded that in government schools. He called it a reflection of the declining public trust in government-run educational institutions.

In a post on X, Gehlot described the situation as 'extremely alarming' and questioned the BJP government's handling of education sector. Despite an increase in the number of teachers, government schools have witnessed a significant decline in student enrolment.

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"It is extremely alarming that over 8.4 lakh school dropouts have occurred in just two years under the BJP government in Rajasthan. For the first time in history, enrollment in private schools has surpassed that in government schools. This is direct proof of the declining credibility of the state's government schools," Gehlot wrote.

The leader further alleged that while the number of teachers in the state increased by 10,000 to 7.9 lakh, government schools lost over 9.3 lakh students because of administrative failures.

"Behold the irony: during this period, the number of teachers increased from 7.8 lakh to over 7.9 lakh, yet due to mismanagement, government schools have lost over 9.3 lakh students. Today in Rajasthan, it's not just the roofs of schools that are collapsing—the long-standing public trust in the government education system is crumbling as well," he said.

Meanwhile, the UDISE+ 2025-26 report has revealed a decline in enrolment among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) students to the lowest level in six years. The data also shows that over 8,000 government schools closed in a single academic year, while enrolment in government schools dropped by more than 26 lakh students. In contrast, private schools recorded an increase of nearly 30 lakh students. ST enrolment saw only a marginal rise compared to previous years.

'Teachers are assigned non-academic responsibilities'

Gehlot blamed the decline on several issues affecting the state's education system. He alleged that teachers are increasingly being assigned non-academic responsibilities, reducing the time they can devote to classroom teaching. He also pointed to deteriorating school infrastructure, delays in repair and maintenance work, and what he termed the politicisation of the curriculum.

According to Gehlot, these factors have collectively weakened the quality of education in government schools and contributed to a steady shift of students towards private institutions.

"Assigning non-educational tasks to teachers, crumbling school infrastructure, stalled repairs, and the continuous politicization of the curriculum instead of reforms—these are the causes of this downfall. When the Education Minister's attention is everywhere but on education, this was the inevitable outcome," he said.

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The former chief minister also defended the education initiatives introduced during the previous Congress government. He claimed that the Congress administration had built a strong government school model, particularly through the expansion of English-medium schools, which, according to him, has since been dismantled by the current government.

"The excellent government education model that our Congress government had built, including English-medium schools, has been completely destroyed by this government's shortsightedness," Gehlot alleged.

He also directed a question at Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, asking who would take responsibility for what he described as the loss of educational opportunities for Rajasthan's children. "Chief Minister ji, who is responsible for snatching away the future of Rajasthan's young ones?" he asked.

The remarks come amid an ongoing political exchange between the Congress and the BJP over the condition of the state's education system. The Rajasthan government has not responded to his allegations yet.