Mumbai, June 1 -- With enrollment in Class 1 in schools run by local self-government bodies across Maharashtra registering a sharp drop over the last four years, the school education department has urged municipalities, municipal corporations, zilla parishads and other local self-government bodies to hold school enrolment festivals on a large scale this year. The department has also planned a special admission drive at the start of the new academic year, under which the chief minister, deputy chief ministers, ministers, lawmakers and senior officials would visit schools and welcome new students. Officials and public representatives would adopt the schools they visit for one year and monitor educational quality, infrastructure and student progress via regular visits, said a joint letter issued dated May 19 by primary education director Sharad Gosavi and secondary education director Mahesh Palkar. According to data from the school education department, 815,005 students enrolled in class 1 in schools run by local self-government bodies in 2022-23. The figure dropped over the subsequent years to reach 677,399 in 2025-26. Against this backdrop, the primary and secondary education directors have urged local self-government bodies to focus on increasing admissions. Divisional deputy directors, education officers, zilla parishads and municipal corporations have been asked to take steps to improve enrolment in government schools. Schools and teachers concerned have been asked to interact with parents of children studying in anganwadis and balwadis to identify candidates eligible for admission to class 1, share information about school facilities and educational programmes, and create awareness through social media. Schools must clean campuses before reopening, and organise welcome programmes for new students and their parents on the first day of the academic year, June 15; public representatives and government officials must visit at least one school in their area and welcome new students, the letter issued by the education directors said. It also instructed schools to distribute free textbooks and uniforms. According to the Directorate of Primary Education, the government and local self-government bodies are responsible for providing quality education under the Right to Education Act. The education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Friday announced a special school enrolment festival this year to increase admissions in municipal schools. Former vice-president of the Maharashtra State Principals' Association, Mahendra Ganpule, said the decline in Class 1 enrolment was primarily a social issue rather than an educational issue. "The impact of family planning awareness programmes carried out by the government over the years is now visible in the form of declining birth rates across the country. It is only natural that the number of students entering schools will also decrease," Ganpule told HT. According to Ganpule, the drop in class 1 enrolment as per education department data should be viewed against birth rates from six years earlier, as children generally enrol in class 1 at the age of six. Citing data from the Sample Registration System of the Census, Ganpule said birth rates in Maharashtra had declined steadily between 2016 and 2020. The estimated birth rate per 1,000 population in Maharashtra was 16.5 in 2016, 16.3 in 2017, 16.1 in 2018, 15.5 in 2019 and 15.0 in 2020. "Besides family planning, factors such as unemployment and delayed marriages are contributing to the decline in birth rates. Now, many couples are also choosing not to have children, which is further affecting enrolment numbers," he said. Considering the changes, the government must review and modify its policies, he noted....