Srinagar, August 15, Aug. 15 -- Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a significant reduction in the number of government schools over the past decade, with the network shrinking by 5,089 institutions. At the same time, the latest NITI Aayog assessment has highlighted concerns over schools with extremely low or no enrolment and shortages of teachers. Government data shows that the number of government schools in J&K declined from 23,874 in 2014-15 to 18,785 in 2023-24, representing a reduction of more than 21 per cent. The biggest decline occurred after 2018-19. The number of government schools stood at 24,080 that year before falling to 23,165 in 2019-20. The figure remained around 23,000 until 2021-22 before dropping sharply to 18,785 in 2022...