Bengaluru, Aug. 8 -- School admissions across Karnataka have witnessed a sharp decline in the current academic year, with the number of students enrolling in government and private schools reportedly falling by nearly four lakh compared to last year.

The steep decline has raised concerns among the Education Department and school managements, with officials and education experts attributing the fall to multiple factors, including confusion over the minimum age requirement for Class 1 admission, delayed government decisions and a significant increase in fees charged by several private schools.

The government had initially moved to strictly enforce the rule requiring a child to have completed six years of age as of June 1 to be eligible fo...