School enrolment in India drops by 37 lakh in 2023-24: Education ministry report

School Enrolment in India Drops by 37 Lakh in 2023-24: UDISE+ Report

School enrolment across India witnessed a decline of 37 lakh students in the academic year 2023-24 compared to the previous year, as revealed by the Ministry of Education's UDISE+ data.

The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) serves as a comprehensive platform that gathers and consolidates school education data nationwide.

In 2022-23, the total number of enrolled students stood at 25.17 crore, but this figure dropped to 24.80 crore in 2023-24. The decrease included a reduction of 16 lakh girl students and 21 lakh boys. Minority students comprised around 20% of the total enrolment, with 79.6% being Muslims, 10% Christians, 6.9% Sikhs, 2.2% Buddhists, 1.3% Jains, and 0.1% Parsis.

On a national scale, 26.9% of students enrolled under UDISE+ belonged to the General category, 18% were from Scheduled Castes, 9.9% from Scheduled Tribes, and 45.2% from the Other Backward Classes category.

The UDISE+ 2023-24 system also introduced a student-wise data collection process, including voluntary submission of Aadhaar numbers to ensure data accuracy and uniqueness. Over 19.7 crore students provided their Aadhaar details, enhancing the identification of 'ghost students' and enabling better allocation of government benefits. Officials highlighted that this new data approach is fundamentally different from the school-wise data aggregation used in previous years, making comparisons with earlier reports challenging.

The new system aims to present a realistic snapshot of the education landscape, facilitating the precise tracking of dropout rates and student progression. By identifying individual dropouts, the system supports efforts to reintegrate students into schools, aligning with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve universal education by 2030.

The report also highlighted disparities in infrastructure utilization across states. States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Odisha have more schools relative to the number of enrolled students, indicating underutilized facilities. Conversely, states like Telangana, Punjab, West Bengal, and Maharashtra reported fewer schools compared to the student population, reflecting optimal infrastructure usage.

This shift in data collection is expected to improve policy effectiveness and governance, promoting better education access and retention across the country.