Four lakh children enter schools in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 1: Slightly over four lakh children in Kerala entered the world of learning by joining the first standard today as schools re-opened after summer vacations.

The occasion was celebrated as "enrollment festival" in all the primary schools in the length and breadth of the state to welcome children in a homely and friendly atmosphere.

Class rooms were decorated with colourful banners, buntings, ribbons and balloons as teachers welcomed the children by offering sweets and flowers.

Rains that lashed some parts of the state did not dampen the festive mood as children clad in new clothes were taken to schools by their parents.

A state that made leaps in literacy and education, Kerala has a total of 12,642 schools. While 4501 are directly run by government, 7278 are government aided and 863 unaided schools.

Over the years, there has been a slight decline in enrollment of students in the first standard, mainly because most parents prefer two-child norm.

Apart from demographic factors, mushrooming of private unaided schools are also cited as a reason for the steady trend of fall in enrollment in state-run and aided schools.

PTI