School Enrollment Declines In India

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT DECLINES IN INDIA

Overview:

• Ministry of Education (MoE) released data showing a significant decline in school enrolments for the academic year 2023-24.
• Data, published in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report reveals that enrolment dropped by over 1 crore students compared to previous years.

KEY FINDINGS

• • Total Enrolment Decline:
    • Enrolment in 2023-24 stands at 24.8 crore, a 6% decrease (1.22 crore fewer students) compared to 26 crore in 2018-19.
    • The decrease continued from 2022-23 (25.18 crore).
  • Historical Trends:
    • Enrolment in 2018-19: 26.2 crore.
    • Increase in 2019-20: 26.45 crore (1.6% increase).
    • After some fluctuations, the enrollment had generally hovered around 26 crore until the significant decline in 2023-24.
  • Aadhaar & Educational ID:
    • UDISE+ system collects detailed data, including students’ Aadhaar numbers.
    • Over 19.7 crore students provided Aadhaar details in 2023-24.
    • Unique Educational IDs (EID) created for each student to prevent duplicates.
  • Data Accuracy:
    • Online submission with validation checks at different administrative levels ensures data accuracy.
    • Data from 2022-23 onward is more reliable due to improved verification processes.
  • Gender-wise Enrolment Decline:
    • Boys’ enrolment: From 13.53 crore (2018-19) to 12.87 crore (2023-24) — a 4.87% decrease.
    • Girls’ enrolment: From 12.49 crore (2018-19) to 11.93 crore (2023-24) — a 4.48% decrease.
• State-wise Decline:
  • Bihar: Enrolment dropped from 2.49 crore (2018-19) to 2.13 crore (2023-24), a 35.65 lakh decrease.
  • Uttar Pradesh: Dropped from 4.44 crore to 4.16 crore (28.26 lakh decrease).
  • Maharashtra: Dropped by 15.55 lakh, from 2.32 crore to 2.13 crore.

ABOUT UDISE+

• Overview:
  • UDISE+ is a large Management Information System initiated by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, Government of India.
  • It covers 14.72 lakh schools, 98.08 lakh teachers, and 24.80 crore children.
• Purpose:
  • UDISE+ is an online portal that records data related to:

1. 1. 1. Schools
      2. Teachers
      3. Enrolment
      4. Infrastructure
      5. Other educational parameters for all recognized schools in India.

• Data Collection Process:
  • Data is captured using the Data Capture Format (DCF).
  • Each school is provided with a login ID and password for online data entry.
  • Head Teacher/Head Master of each school is responsible for compiling the data.
• Validation and Verification Process:
  • Data undergoes a 3-stage validation/verification process:

1. 1. 1. Block/Cluster level
      2. District level
      3. State level

• • After verification, data is certified by the State Project Director (SPD) at the State level.
• Approval and Certification:
  • Once the SPD certifies the data, it is considered approved by the State.
  • The certified data is then entered into the UDISE+ portal by the respective state.
• Importance:
  • UDISE+ data is considered the most trusted and comprehensive pan-India database for school education in the country.

IMPACT OF UDISE+

• The new system has contributed to improving data quality by establishing accurate identities for students and teachers.
• This has significant implications for beneficiary identification and scheme allocations, such as Samagra Shiksha, PM POSHAN, and National Scholarships.
• By eliminating duplicate entries, the MoE aims to ensure more accurate beneficiary identification for government educational schemes, which can lead to substantial cost savings in the future.

In conclusion, while the 2023-24 enrolment data highlights some concerning trends in school enrolment, the improvements in data accuracy and the introduction of unique identifiers could lead to more efficient and equitable distribution of educational resources in the future. The government must investigate the causes of the enrolment decline to formulate effective interventions.

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