The government schools in India, though, are generally considered deplorable and the urban elite hardly think of putting their children in these schools, the story is a bit different in Ahmedabad.
Call it the skyrocketing fees of private schools or the improvement in the standard of the city’s government schools striving for excellence, or a combination of both the factors, several parents from the middle and upper middle class are looking forward to these schools for their children’s education. This year there is heightened query and longer lines for admissions in government-run schools and the 2024-25 academic session is seeing a considerable surge in student numbers in these schools.
The total number of children admitted in Balwatika is 9,231. Thus, according to the survey of the Municipal School Board, the number of children admitted to Balwatika and Class-I has increased to more than 29,000, which is a new record.
So far, this year has seen an unprecedented rush of parents to get admission in municipal schools. Compared to last year, this year more than 5,500 children have been admitted to these schools. At present, 439 schools are being run in the city through the medium of Gujarati-Hindi-Marathi-English by the Municipal School Board. Currently more than 1.66 lakh students are taking education in 312 buildings owned by the school board. More than 4,900 highly qualified teachers impart education to these children. Currently, there are 81 smart schools in Ahmedabad. Apart from this, 217 schools are running under the School of Excellence. All these schools have plenty of infrastructural facilities.
