Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari has raised concerns over a reported decline of 8.66 lakh students enrolled in government and private schools across the state. He has urged the government to order a high-level investigation.
According to figures cited by Patwari, schools recorded 142.32 lakh students from Classes 1 to 12 in the 2025-26 academic session. By 13 October in the 2026-27 session, the figure had fallen to 133.65 lakh, a difference of 8.66 lakh students, or about 6.1%.
Patwari said the reported decline raised serious questions about access to education. He claimed that schools in Bhopal alone had recorded a drop of more than 20,000 students. He also highlighted concerns in districts such as Mauganj, Alirajpur, Ashoknagar, Shivpuri and Guna.
He urged the government to determine whether children had left school, financial difficulties had disrupted their education or errors in enrolment records had affected the figures.
Patwari called on the state government to verify district-wise and school-wise data and publish its findings. He also urged officials to identify children who had dropped out and help them return to school.
The Congress leader said the government must ensure that every child receives an education. The figures cited in his statement have not been independently verified, and further clarification from the state government is needed to establish the reasons behind the reported decline.
