Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s schools have witnessed a sharp fall in new admissions to Class 1 this academic year, with 16,510 fewer students enrolled compared to last year. Public Education Minister V. Sivankutty revealed that only 2,34,476 students joined Class 1 this year, down from 2,50,986 the previous year.
The minister pointed to a declining birth rate as the key reason behind the drop. Children born in 2020, when the birth rate stood at 12.77, are entering Class 1 now. In contrast, students completing Class 10 in 2025 were born in 2010, a year with a significantly higher birth rate of 15.75. This demographic shift, the minister said, is now clearly reflected in enrolment numbers.
Despite the drop in Class 1 admissions, overall student strength in Classes 2 to 10 in public schools rose by 40,906 this year.
Interestingly, unaided private schools saw almost no change — just one additional student enrolled in Class 1 compared to last year. A total of 47,863 students joined Class 1 in unaided schools this year, up from 47,862.
Currently, nearly 29 lakh (2.9 million) students are enrolled in Classes 2 to 10 in government-run schools across the state, indicating continued public trust in the state’s education system despite shifting population trends.
