LUCKNOW, May 30 -- Even as the government has laid fresh emphasis on the School Chalo Abhiyan to be conducted from July onwards, government schools in Uttar Pradesh have registered a big dip in enrolment numbers in a span of four academic sessions from 2022-23 to the ongoing 2025-26.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dramatic decline of nearly 90 lakh (9 million) students in government-run primary and upper primary schools (Classes 1 to 8) across Uttar Pradesh.

In 2022-23, enrolment in schools under the Basic Shiksha Parishad reached an all-time high of 1.92 crore (19.2 million). However, this figure dropped to 1.68 crore (16.8 million) in 2023-24, a reduction of 24 lakh students. In 2024-25, enrolment fell further to 1.48 c...