Figures released by the United Education Plus District Information System (UDISE+) for the year 2023-24 paint a worrying picture of India’s school education sector. The number of students admitted to schools has decreased by 37 lakh. According to these figures, in the year 2022-23, there were 25.17 crores enrolled in schools, which decreased to 24.80 crores in 2023-24, from which the government needs to look at the difference and take concrete action. It may be by letters but whatever, this drop in school admissions cannot be ignored with the magic of numbers.
A major concern is that the decline in girl child enrollment is even sharper and the gap between minority and underprivileged sections continues. States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have seen the biggest drop in admissions, reflecting the socio-economic constraints prevalent there. The decline in enrollments in the school educated stages is also noteworthy. The dropout rate up to middle school is 5.2 percent which increases to 10.9 percent at the secondary level. States like Punjab and West Bengal have the highest number of admissions, but they too are facing several fundamental deficiencies. Apart from this, the standard of technical preparations is very low. About 57 percent of schools have computers. The digital divide looms even more starkly in backward areas, undermining efforts to integrate education. There is a need to get to the root of the problem of declining enrollments or dropouts in schools and it should also be read whether the situation is reversing without adequate increase in the education budget. Regrettably, an adequate increase in the education budget has not yet become our national priority.
These challenges do exist but a ray of hope has also emerged from some quarters. The introduction of unique education ID cards has made it easier to track dropouts and better target schemes like comprehensive education. Therefore, reform cannot be brought about on the basis of statistics alone, but it will require transformative policy action. Teacher training, investment in digital infrastructure and community outreach are needed. Under the New Education Policy (2020), a goal has been set to ensure universal education and education for all by the year 2030. The future of crores of children of the country depends on such ambitious goals and their effective implementation.
