School Enrolment Falls by 11 Lakh Even as Teacher Numbers Hit Record High: Govt Report

UDISE+ 2024-25 shows shrinking student numbers but improved teacher ratios, better infrastructure, and reduced dropouts

India’s schools are facing a paradox. While the country now has the highest-ever number of teachers — more than 1.01 crore — student enrolment has dropped for the third consecutive year, according to the Education Ministry’s latest UDISE+ 2024-25 report.

Falling Enrolment

Total enrolment now stands at 24.69 crore, down by 11 lakh from last year’s 24.80 crore. In 2022-23, it stood at 25.18 crore, meaning schools have lost nearly 48 lakh students in just two years. The decline is most pronounced in government and government-aided schools, while private school enrolment has actually gone up.

Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar attributed the fall to India’s shifting demographic profile. “The drop in enrolment is primarily due to the declining fertility rate,” he said, adding that the numbers are based on projections using the 2011 Census.

Teacher Strength at All-Time High

The number of school teachers has touched 1.01 crore, compared to 98 lakh last year. This has sharply improved the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR):

• Foundational years: 10
• Preparatory stage: 13
• Middle: 17
• Secondary: 21

These figures are far better than the National Education Policy (NEP) target of 30:1.

The number of single-teacher schools has fallen by 6%, while zero-enrolment schools dropped by 38%, suggesting better resource rationalisation.

Dropouts Decline, Retention Improves

Dropout rates have reduced steadily:

• Preparatory: 2.3%
• Middle: 3.5%
• Secondary: 8.2%

Retention rates rose to 47.2%, up from 45.6% last year, though less than half of students continue beyond Class 9.

Infrastructure Gains

The report highlights stronger infrastructure across schools:

• Computers: 64.7% (up from 57.2%)
• Internet access: 63.5% (up from 53.9%)
• Drinking water: 99.3%
• Electricity: 93.6%
• Gender-specific toilets: 97.3% for girls, 96.2% for boys

Officials said the findings show an education system that is expanding in quality and access, but also confronting the reality of a shrinking student population.