Private schools continue to dominate Education sector in Manipur: UDISE Data

Despite the state government's efforts to promote quality education and elevate the prestige of government-run schools in Manipur, private schools continue to dominate the state's educational landscape, while government institutions are gradually being phased out.

In Manipur, over 100 private schools were established and awarded official accreditation in less than five years between 2017 and 2020 in an effort to enhance education and encourage parents to take their children to school.

According to the Education Ministry's Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data, the growth of private schools in Manipur has persisted, with over 200 new private schools opening in the last decade.

The state experienced a private school boom in the 1990s, with approximately 300 schools opening during the decade. Over 200 private schools were established and recognised in the following decades, the 2000s and 2010. The data reveals the disconcerting truth that private schools continue to dominate the state's educational landscape.

According to the most recent UDISE 2020-21 report, the state government operates 2,842 schools, of which 1,884 are overseen by the Department of Education, 952 by the Tribal Welfare Department, and six by the Social Welfare Department.

While government schools outnumber government recognised private schools by at least 1,800, state government schools have only about 27.36 percent of students (1,77,276 students). In contrast, almost 4 lakh school-aged children in Manipur, out of a total of 6,47,836 kids, attend solely accredited private schools. According to the UDISE+ 2020-21 data, Manipur has 142 unrecognised schools with about 14,194 students.