Sharp rise in students shifting from private to government schools

KOCHI: Kerala is witnessing a significant increase in the number of students shifting from private schools to government schools, driven by better learning quality and improved facilities. Factors such as reduced academic pressure and lower expenses are also encouraging this shift.

The new trend shows that students are often completing studies up to Class 8 under the CBSE syllabus before switching to government schools. Education experts note that parents believe early exposure to English in CBSE helps develop language skills, and students can switch later when the academic workload increases in higher classes.

In the 2024–25 academic year, a total of 32,259 students from Classes 2 to 9 (excluding Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Ernakulam) shifted to government schools across 11 districts. The largest movements were from Class 4 to 5 and Class 7 to 8, with 9,564 students entering Class 8 and 6,994 entering Class 5.

In 2025–26, 31,352 students joined government schools, including 9,066 in Class 8 and 6,600 in Class 5. In the 2024–25 academic year, 32,259 students from Classes 2 to 10 shifted to government schools. In 2025–26, 31,352 students joined government schools.

District-wise number of students who joined Classes 5 and 8 in govt schools in 2025–26 (excluding Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Ernakulam) is as follows:

• Pathanamthitta: 441 → 313
• Alappuzha: 418 → 676
• Kottayam: 440 → 374
• Idukki: 273 → 173
• Thrissur: 1,424 → 1,223
• Palakkad: 847 → 937
• Malappuram: 1,396 → 2,293
• Kozhikode: 153 → 127
• Wayanad: 165 → 685
• Kannur: 487 → 1,474
• Kasaragod: 556 → 791
• Total: 6,600 → 9,066

According to education expert Dr T.P. Sethumadhavan, many parents are now choosing the Kerala syllabus to give their children an advantage in entrance examinations.