The total enrollment of students in schools has declined by over one crore in the academic year 2023-24 compared to previous years, as shown by the latest data released by the Ministry of Education (MoE). The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report indicates that a total of 24.8 crore students enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, marking a significant decrease from the preceding years. In previous years, school enrollment figures had consistently hovered around 26 crore.
This decline is notable as officials emphasize that maintaining a separate student base through these years offers new insights and is not strictly comparable to data from previous years due to differing methodologies and enhanced data validation processes. The introduction of the revitalized UDISE+ system in 2022-23, which captures data across more than 60 fields per student, has contributed to improved accuracy in data collection. This system also includes the voluntary collection of Aadhaar details, and over 19.7 crore students provided these details by 2023-24.
While the implementation of UDISE+ has led to more accurate identification of students, it has also affected comparability with previous reports on indicators such as Gross Enrollment Ratio, Net Enrollment Ratio, and dropout rates.
Decline in school enrollment figures
The new system focuses on eliminating duplicate or ghost entries and creating unique educational IDs (EID) for all students, ensuring precise identification for beneficiaries of various educational schemes.
States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra experienced the most significant drops in enrollments. Bihar’s enrollment decreased from over 2.49 crore in 2018-19 to over 2.13 crore in 2023-24, a dip of over 35.65 lakh students. Uttar Pradesh saw a reduction of 28.26 lakh students, from 4.44 crore to 4.16 crore.
In Maharashtra, student numbers fell by 18.55 lakh, from over 2.32 crore to 2.13 crore. The Ministry of Education’s efforts to create more accurate records through UDISE+ aim to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of educational schemes and ensure that genuine beneficiaries are identified and supported. However, the decline in overall enrollment figures raises concerns about the accessibility and quality of education in the country, and calls for further investigation and action to address the underlying issues.
