Gujarat school enrolment drive faces scrutiny over fuel-saving directive

The Gujarat government’s decision to launch the statewide School Enrollment Drive (Shala Praveshotsav) and Kanya Kelavani Mahotsav later this month has raised questions about whether the administration will follow its own recently issued fuel-conservation guidelines, as the programme is expected to involve extensive travel by ministers, elected representatives and senior officials.

The state government has announced that the annual enrolment campaign will be held from June 18 and has directed education agencies to begin preparations. At the same time, it has issued an 11-point advisory asking departments and institutions to reduce fuel consumption by avoiding non-essential travel and programmes.

The overlap between the two initiatives has drawn attention because the enrolment drive will require government functionaries to travel across districts, talukas and villages over three days.

Statewide preparations underway

The Primary Education Department has instructed the Office of the Commissioner of Schools, the Directorate of Education and the Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) to make arrangements for the campaign.

According to the government circular, programmes will be organised in anganwadis, balwadis, primary schools, secondary schools and higher secondary schools, as well as Jnan Shakti Residential Schools and Raksha Shakti Residential Schools across the state.

Each participating official will be assigned one primary school and two secondary or higher secondary schools per day. Implementation responsibilities have been divided among the Directorate of Primary Education, Samagra Shiksha and GCERT.

Publicity and outreach activities planned

The Education Department has directed officials to prepare and print material on government projects and schemes for distribution during the campaign.

Departments have also been assigned responsibilities related to publicity, meetings and other outreach activities linked to the drive.

Meanwhile, the Women and Child Development Department has been tasked with ensuring admissions to anganwadis, balwadis, Class 1 and Class 9.

Questions over fuel use

The programme will involve ministers, public representatives and senior bureaucrats travelling to different parts of Gujarat to participate in enrolment activities.

Critics argue that the travel and logistical arrangements required for the campaign could result in significant expenditure and fuel consumption.

This has prompted questions about whether the government will apply the same fuel-saving standards to the enrolment drive that it has directed departments, institutions and officials to follow.

Focus on reducing dropout rates

The government has also directed officials to intensify efforts to reduce school dropout rates, particularly at the secondary and higher secondary levels.

As part of the campaign, the state aims to bring back 6.41 lakh students who studied in Classes 1 to 10 during the 2024–25 academic year but did not continue their education in 2025–26. Responsibility for the re-enrolment exercise has been assigned to Samagra Shiksha.

To support the initiative, district-wise and taluka-wise surveys have been conducted to identify students who have dropped out and determine the reasons behind their leaving school.

The findings are expected to guide efforts to bring students back into the education system and improve retention rates across the state.