For the first time in an academic year, the total number of schoolteachers in India has crossed the one-crore mark, according to the Ministry of Education’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus data for 2024–25.

The increase represents a 6.7 per cent rise compared with 2022–23, with officials highlighting the development as a significant step towards improving student–teacher ratios and addressing regional disparities. The current pupil–teacher ratios (PTR) at the foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary levels stand at 10, 13, 17 and 21 respectively — far better than the National Education Policy (NEP) benchmark of 30.

At the same time, total school enrolment has dropped to a seven-year low of 24.68 crore, around 11 lakh fewer than the previous year. Officials attributed the decline largely to falling birth rates and to inflated denominators in enrolment projections based on the 2011 Census. Updated figures are expected after the next Census in 2026.

Despite shrinking enrolments, retention has improved across all levels. The 2024–25 academic year saw dropout rates fall markedly — from 3.7 to 2.3 per cent at the preparatory stage, 5.2 to 3.5 per cent at middle level, and 10.9 to 8.2 per cent at the secondary stage. Retention rose to 98.9 per cent at foundational level, 92.4 per cent at preparatory, 82.8 per cent at middle and 47.2 per cent at secondary. Officials said the expansion of secondary schools has played a key role in keeping students in education.

The data also show sharp reductions in single-teacher and zero-enrolment schools. Single-teacher schools fell by about 6 per cent compared with last year, while zero-enrolment schools declined by nearly 38 per cent.

According to the ministry, these trends reflect the impact of targeted interventions to strengthen the school system, ensure better teacher deployment and improve student outcomes.

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