School enrolment across India decreased by 37 lakh in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Education’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data.

The UDISE Plus platform, managed by the Education Ministry, compiles school education data nationwide. In 2022-23, total enrolment stood at 25.17 crore, which fell to 24.80 crore in 2023-24. The number of girl students dropped by 16 lakh, while boy students declined by 21 lakh during the period.

Minority representation in total enrolment was around 20%, with 79.6% being Muslims, followed by Christians (10%), Sikhs (6.9%), Buddhists (2.2%), Jains (1.3%), and Parsis (0.1%).

Categorically, 26.9% of students were from the general category, 18% from Scheduled Castes, 9.9% from Scheduled Tribes, and 45.2% from Other Backward Classes.

In 2023-24, UDISE+ began collecting student-specific data, including Aadhaar numbers on a voluntary basis, to establish unique records. Over 19.7 crore students provided their Aadhaar numbers. Officials emphasized that this data initiative differed significantly from earlier years, which reported only aggregated data at the school level.

This transition to individual data helps identify “ghost students” and ensures benefits reach deserving students, enhancing governance and reducing expenditure waste.

“Student-wise data provides a more realistic and accurate picture of the education system. This shift, undertaken for the first time at a national level, makes comparisons with previous data impractical for metrics such as Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), Net Enrolment Ratio (NER), or dropout rates,” a senior official explained.

The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) evaluates enrolment at a specific educational level relative to the population in the corresponding age group.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to ensure universal access to education and reduce dropouts by 2030. The new data approach allows precise tracking of dropouts, enabling authorities to reintegrate students and monitor their progression throughout their schooling.

The report highlighted disparities in the availability of schools, teachers, and student enrolment across states.

• Underutilized Schools: States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan have a higher percentage of schools compared to student enrolment.
• Infrastructure Utilization: Conversely, states such as Telangana, Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Bihar show better utilization of existing infrastructure, with a higher ratio of enrolled students to available schools.

By providing granular insights, the UDISE+ initiative is poised to improve education policy outcomes and infrastructure planning.

Also read: Delhi government school enrollment drops by over 30000: RTI