Ludhiana, Aug. 30 -- Government schools in Punjab have recorded a worrying decline in enrolment, with more than 1.5 lakh fewer students on the rolls this year compared to the last session, according to the Union education ministry's Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) survey report for 2024-25.

The report highlights that the total enrolment across state-run schools fell from 28.23 lakh in 2023-24 to 26.69 lakh in the 2024-25 academic session, raising questions over the challenges faced by public education despite ongoing reforms.

The sharpest fall has been reported at the elementary levels, where elementary classes (1 to 8) alone saw a decline of 1,06,742 students. Secondary classes (9 and 10) recorded the sm...