UDISE+ Report: Drop in School Enrollment in 2023-24

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Education has released the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report that indicates a drop in the school enrollment ratio. The number of enrolled students in 2022-23 were 25.17 crore, while the figures for 2023-24 stood at 24.80 crore.

Major Highlights of the UDISE+ Report

• Decline in School Enrollment Rate:
  • The number of enrolled students in 2022-23 were 25.17 crore, while the figures for 2023-24 stood at 24.80 crore.
    • In 2018-19 total enrollment was 26.02 crore, which increased in 2019-20 by 1.6%. 
    • Enrollment slightly fell in the 2020-21 due to COVID-19 led lockdown. 
    • In 2021-22, enrollment slightly improved by 0.76% (due government schemes like PRAGYATA scheme of digital education and lockdown upliftment).
  • There is a sharp increase in the enrollment in the private schools as compared to the government schools, suggesting shifting back to private institutions.
• Drop-out rates rise sharply at higher education levels, from 5.2% in middle school to 10.9% at the secondary stage.
  • Increase in Dropout Rate for Boys: From 2018-19 to 2023-24, boys enrollment percentage dropped by 4.87%, while in similar duration girls dropout reduced by 4.48%.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): While the preparatory level boasts a GER of 96.5%, the foundational level is at a mere 41.5%. Middle and secondary levels are at 89.5% and 66.5%, respectively. 
• State-wise trends: 
  • States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra witnessed the highest dropouts as per the report.
  • State-wise discrepancies: West Bengal has 79% foundational and preparatory schools but only 11.6% secondary schools, creating a risk of higher dropout rates. 

• State of School Infrastructure:
  • While over 90% of schools have basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, advanced facilities such as functional desktops, internet access and ramps with handrails remain limited.
  • Only 57.2% of schools have functional computers, 53.9% have internet, and 52.3% are equipped with ramps, underscoring significant gaps in accessibility and tech readiness.

About UIDSE+

• Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus is a data aggregation platform maintained by the Ministry of Education ministry to collate school education data from across the country.
  • UDISE+ is an upgraded version of the original UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education).
  • UDISE+ system was developed by the Department of School Education & Literacy in the year 2018-19.
  • Aim:
    • To enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility of education data.
    • To overcome the issues related to erstwhile practice of manual data filling in paper format. 
• UDISE+ 2023-24 attempted to collect student-wise data along with their Aadhaar numbers on a voluntary basis to establish a uniqueness. Overall, more than 19.7 crore students provided Aadhaar numbers by 2023-24.
• Significance: The shift from aggregated school-level data to individual student records, facilitated by Aadhaar-linked unique educational IDs-
  • Gives a more accurate picture of the education system. 
  • Enhances the monitoring of progression and retention. 
  • Streamline beneficiary identification for government schemes, reducing duplication and promoting equitable resource distribution.

Potential Reasons for the Decline in School Enrollment

• Change in Data Collection Methodology: In 2022-23, MoE started a revitalised UDISE+ ecosystem which captures data on more than 60 fields for each student and Aadhaar details were also collected on a voluntary basis.
  • More efforts have been put in to accurately establish student and teacher credentials to remove duplicate/ghost entries for specific identification of beneficiaries. 
  • UDISE+ 2022-23 data is not strictly comparable with the previous reports on various educational indicators like Gross Enrolment Ratio, Net Enrolment Ratio, dropout rates etc. 
  • Apart from Aadhaar, a separate unique educational ID (EID) for every student has been created in the UDISE+ portal to cover each and every child under the ecosystem of UDISE+. 
• Alternate Education Choices: There is increasing preference for homeschooling and the alternate means of education, reducing enrollment in the schools.
• Post-pandemic school preference: Post pandemic there is high enrollment in the private schools, suggesting changes in parental preferences and perception of quality education. 
• Demographic change: A slight reduction in the birth rate in India may also be impacting the enrollment numbers of school-age children. 
• Infrastructure and Resource challenges: Issues like insufficient smart classrooms, low teacher to student ratio may also impact enrollment. E.g., Only 12% of government schools have a functional smart classroom. 

Way Forward

• Enhancing budget: There should be a 6% of GDP allocation (in line with the recommendation of National Education Policy, 2020) to education to improve physical and digital infrastructure and resources in schools.
• Proper monitoring: There should be a timely and proper monitoring of the learning outcomes of the students not only in the form of examinations but also in terms of problem solving assessments. 
• Inviting guest faculty: There should be a provision for regular inclusion of guest faculty for improved learning outcomes of the students. E.g., Vidyanjali scheme of voluntary guest faculty in schools.

Conclusion: The report suggests a reduction in overall enrolment of the students, suggesting a scope of improvement in standards of the education. The focus should be in enhanced fund allocation, improved monitoring, inviting expertise, and quality enhancement by gaining public feedback to promote higher enrollment. Curtailing dropouts and ensuring universal access to education at all levels by 2030 is one of the primary goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals.