Several parents in Gujarat's Surat have shifted their children to government schools from private ones amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of parents who shifted their wards to municipal schools is especially high in the diamond hub of Surat citing financial distress as one of the main reasons for choosing government schools over private ones.
"My two nieces recently took admission in a government school. These days there are hardly any jobs. A lot of people are going through financial hardship due to coronavirus pandemic," said Kaushik Patel, a resident from Surat.
The admission numbers of the Surat Municipal Education Board (SMEB) recorded as many as 12,300 new admissions, of which about 5000 were of students who were going to private schools till last year.
"For the past few years, we are doing well in academics. We are giving all kinds of facilities in the schools for free. Therefore, parents of the teachers are opting for a government school," said Hasmukh Patel, Surat Nagar Palika Sikshan Samiti Chairman.
( With inputs from ANI )