Ensuring Equity Amid India’s Educational Progress, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 report indicates significant progress in India's school education system.
• The report covers 1.47 million schools, 240 million students, and 10.2 million teachers, showing improvements in gross enrolment, student retention, and infrastructure.
• Despite progress, the report highlights persistent regional and social disparities in access, resources, learning opportunities, and educational outcomes.
• Disparities are evident in Gross Enrolment Ratios, dropout rates, Pupil-Teacher Ratios, and infrastructure availability across various regions and social groups.
• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework is cited for addressing these gaps through targeted investment and support for disadvantaged groups.

Detailed Insights:

• Aadhaar seeding for students shows wide variation, with Andhra Pradesh at 99.6% and Meghalaya at 35%, against a national average of 90.2%.
• Uttar Pradesh holds the highest share of schools and student enrolment, while Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh have the lowest shares relative to enrolment.
• The distribution of school types varies significantly, with West Bengal having the highest proportion of foundational schools (79%) and Chandigarh the highest secondary schools (83%).
• Social composition of enrolled students differs regionally; Chandigarh and Delhi have high General category students, while Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Ladakh show high Scheduled Tribe (ST) enrolment.
• National Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) indicates disparities, with OBCs at 49%, General at 27%, SCs at 17%, and STs at 10% relative to their population.
• The Gender Parity Index across most States/Union Territories shows higher enrolment and participation for girls compared to boys.
• Minority communities, including Muslims and Parsis, constitute over 20% of total enrolment in schools.
• Average enrolment per school varies from 1,194 in Chandigarh to 64 in Ladakh, reflecting diverse school sizes.
• Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) varies significantly, with Jharkhand recording the highest Secondary PTR (43) and Sikkim the lowest (6).
• Dropout rates remain a concern, with Bihar showing the highest preparatory (7.9%) and middle-level (9%) dropout rates, and Ladakh the highest secondary dropout rate (14.8%).
• Access to schooling has improved, but remote, hilly, tribal, and border areas still face challenges in school availability and transport facilities.
• Infrastructure, such as drinking water and electricity, has improved but varies regionally, with educationally backward districts lagging behind.
• Teacher shortages persist in rural and remote schools, leading to heavy workloads and reduced individual attention for students.
• Challenges remain in reducing dropout rates for girls, enhancing their transition to secondary education, and providing adequate facilities for disabled children.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+): A comprehensive database on school education in India, collecting data from all recognized schools.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): The ratio of total enrolment in a specific level of education, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to that level.
• Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR): The average number of pupils per teacher at a specific level of education, indicating teacher availability.
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: A comprehensive framework for education in India, aiming to transform the education system from early childhood to higher education.