Gandhinagar, June 26: The state-wide ‘Kanya Kelvani Mahotsav and School Enrollment Festival 2026’ concluded with over 1.6 million students enrolled in just three days. This event is one of the largest educational enrollment campaigns ever held in Gujarat.
Held from June 23 to 25, the festival involved 25,625 villages and 37,211 schools across the state. On the final day alone, activities took place in 8,287 villages and 12,495 schools, with 27,959 dignitaries, including public representatives and senior officials, visiting institutions to encourage student enrollment and participation.
The initiative was launched on Tuesday by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at BN High School in Vadnagar, the same school where Prime Minister Narendra Modi studied.
Officials reported that the 24th edition of the program was organized under the guidance of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, along with Education Minister Dr. Pradyuman Vaja and State Education Minister Rivaba Jadeja.
According to official statistics from the final day of the event, over 62,000 children began receiving early education in Anganwadis and Bal Mandirs during the campaign. More than 146,000 new enrollments were recorded in the Balvatika category.
At the school level, over 34,000 students were enrolled in Grade 1, more than 179,000 in Grade 9, and 91,613 in Grade 11. Additionally, under the ‘Back to School Survey’ initiative, 25,070 students returned to education.
The state government also launched transportation facilities in 999 schools during the campaign. To promote girls’ education, 3,935 meritorious female students were awarded ‘Vidya Lakshmi Bonds’ to support their higher education.
Community participation was a vital component of this initiative, with citizens contributing over ₹10.71 crore in total. This included more than ₹1.52 crore in cash and over ₹9.18 crore worth of educational materials donated to schools.
Overall, donors across the state contributed more than ₹28.97 crore in cash and kind during the three-day campaign. Officials stated that the program aims to strengthen enrollment rates and ensure universal access to education throughout Gujarat, reflecting the state’s ongoing efforts to achieve full school participation.
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